Dry blood
by Ravynfeather
Summary: This is just somethin' me and my friend made up in school, literal Sonic fans DO NOT READ! Unless you don't care about... Sonic..You know.. Just don't read it if you don't want to see Sonic get hurt lol Eggman's experiment works for once! Read on! (Warning! This is very old!)
1. Chapter 1

**If you're a huge **_**Sonic**_** fan, don't read this... Sonic... Kinda... .-. ... ...**

**Anyways,**

**This is something I thought of with my friend at school :D (We both detest Sonic with a passion lol) But that's not the point T^T Yush, there is tweaked stuff in here. Yush, in 'Sonic X' there is, like, no blood... Or too much heavy violence... And Yush, Eggman was never nearly this smart, but I had to make it fit the story line XD**

**Btw, Mortuus means 'Dead' in Latin. lol I love Latin.**

**Go Shadow!**

**Chapter One**

Decoe and Becoe watched nervously as Docter Eggman tapped his foot impatiently. He glared at a glass chamber -from the other side of a protective glass- that was fogged to the point so he couldn't see inside.

"How much longer?" He asked the robots, who jumped in fear.

"Uh," Decoe glanced at a screen as Eggman's brow deepened into a deep 'V' shape. "Several seconds, sir... What is this experiment? Eh- Sir?"

Eggman turned and looked at the robots, towering over them with at least 5' extra feet. "This '_experiment' _will help make my Eggman-Empire. This '_experiment' _is going to be the strongest thing to ravage this planet. This '_experiment' _is Mortuus... For now, at least." He turned back to the chamber as a speaker above them beeped and he timer on the screen reached 'Zero'. An evil grin spread across Dr. Eggman's face and he pressed a green button on the panel in front of him.

The glass chamber released the gaseous steam from the inside as a giant metal claw grabbed a large tube from the inside.

Becoe watched it intently. "What does it do?"

Eggman spoke without looking away. "It will destroy all obstacles in my way. That include that pesky hedgehog."

Decoe glanced at Becoe. "What about Shadow, sir?"

Eggman sighed irritably. "Did I, or did I not say _'all'_? 'All' includes Project: Shadow."

The two robots flinched. Decoe whispered to Becoe "I've never seen him so..."

"So 'together'? Neither have I. He seems so sure that this experi-... That Mortuus will help him."

Decoe nodded silently as Eggman continued to press buttons on the panel while speaking. "I will release Mortuus into a vessel, someone not even Sonic would suspect. After that is completed, Mortuus will fool Sonic and Shadow into a dangerous scenario, hopefully a fatal one. They are the only things in my way." He turned to his robotic henchmen, his voice full of mock depression as the evil grin grew. "Once they are gone, their little 'team-mates' will be lost without their leaders."

"Excellent plan, sir!" The two robots said together. Eggman looked down on both of them with disgust. Shaking his head, he turned back to the panel and pressed 'Enter'. The the tube, held by the giant claw, slid through a compartment hole that was above the glass. It dropped into his hand. He held it plaintively to Becoe and Decoe. "Release this upon the weakest link in Sonic's little team."

Becoe hesitated before grabbing the tube. Decoe glanced at the steel tube as he spoke. "W-Who is this person, to be exact, sir?"

Eggman walked towards the door and stopped as soon as he reached it. Over his shoulder, he said "Tails the Fox." Before walking out of the claustrophobic room.

**Not my best chapter ever, but it'll do...**

**Just as an F.Y.I., this story goes along with a comic I'm drawing on Devianart. I haven't gotten it up yet, but it's coming! I've gotten pretty far into it lol**

**Review what you think so far!**

**Also, I'm not drawing this chapter cause I can't draw Eggman or his robots... or Backrounds... lol So from probably second or third chapter is when it'll come in. I can always change my mind later :P**


	2. Chapter 2

**I need to get these chapters in so that I can keep drawing the comics! This chapter may not be **_**as**_** interesting as I wanted it, but here goes!**

**And yeah, I know I can't do the whole 'Cream and Cheese' dealio :P Don't be Captain Obvious and point it out, 'cos I know Lol :)**

** Chapter Two**

Cream, Cheese, and Tails were outside of Chris Thorndyke's house, near the side of the building. Cream giggled and Cheese cheered as Tails juggled two wrenches, a weak attempt at entertaining Cream and Cheese.

"You're so silly," Cream said in between giggles as Tails dodged a wrench that almost hit him.

He puffed out his furry, white chest as Cheese jumped around in the air cheering "Chu chu! Chu chu!"

As he picked up the wrench and started to juggle the two again, Cream's eyes widened at something behind Tails. "Watch out, Tails!" She called out in her soft voice.

Tails didn't have time to turn around as something cold and metal tackled him to the ground. A robotic voice echoed from behind Tails. "Get him! Get him! That's the fox Doctor Eggman was talking about!" Cream jumped to her feet, Cheese hiding behind her. "Leave him alone!" She hollered.

Tails rolled over, the thing that attacked him still clinging to his side. They were both robots, one slightly larger the the other. Tails recognized them. They were Eggman's henchmen.

The one who wasn't clinging to Tails side -like his life depended on it, and, knowing Eggman, it probably did- unscrewed the lid to a large cylindrical tube. "Becoe, get your fat head out of the way!" As the robot called 'Becoe' rolled off of Tails, Cream and Cheese ran towards the door of the house.

"We'll get Sonic!"

"Chu chu chu!"

Tails looked away from Cream and back at Becoe, who was trying to pin his arms down, or something. "Get away from me, you creeps!" Tails yelled as he hit Becoe's head with one of the wrenches.

"Ow! You little runt, you'll regret that!" Becoe exclaimed, narrowing his 'eyes'.

"Just move out of my way, Becoe!" The other robot said, pushing Becoe aside. Before Tails could react, the tall robot covered Tails' mouth with the tube's hole. Tails began to protest, his voice sounded hollow from being inside the tube. But as he opened his mouth, something cold crawled it's way down his throat. It slid inside him -like someone putting on a costume. As Becoe and the other robot took several steps back, Tails could feel an icy coolness spreading through his blood-veins. After a couple of seconds, it reached his brain and turned into a piercing pain, as if the robots had shick-a-bobbed his head with a knife.

Forgetting about the robots, Tails wailed and brought his hands to his head. He could hear Eggman's henchmen chattering like a flock of seagulls as he fought to contain the pain. "Is it supposed to do that?" One of them asked. A metal 'clank' answered the question and the other, probably Becoe, stated in a panicky voice "He never specified on what would happen!"

Tails lost all feeling of nerves in his body. He suddenly fell limp, his gloved hands falling to the ground.

"Oh no! What are we going to do now? Eggman with take us apart for sure!"

"Wait, he's not dead! Come on, help me carry him, that Sonic thing will be here soon!"

"Do you honestly think we can outrun him, you-"

"Shut up and help me carry him!"

Tails was dimly aware of everything that was going on, but the dizziness of whatever went inside him was taking over. The last thing he saw before he went completely unconscious, was Eggman's red and white hovercraft and the mechanical claw that reached down to pick him up.

* * *

><p>Sonic and Shadow rushed out of Chris' house to see Doctor Eggman carrying Tails away in a hovercraft. Sonic attempted to grab a hold on the claw that gripped Tails, but even with his enhanced powers he couldn't make it.<p>

Sonic watched them disappear, panting. "No! Damnit! Why is he taking Tails?"

Shadow crossed his arms and watched them too. His face was an emotionless mask, but deep down his stomach was twisting with concern. "I wish I could tell you," He murmured.

As Shadow watched, he silently vowed that he would be the one who would help Tails, no matter the risk.

Even if it meant his life.

**Poor Tails D: My friend is going to hate me for that... Lol**


	3. Chapter 3

** Chapter Three**

Shadow, Knuckles, Sonic, Cream, Cheese and Amy sat in the attic with Chris and Chuck. Knuckles sat in the corner of the room, in a wooden chair, Sonic in the bean-bags with Amy, Chris and Chuck on the wheely-chairs and Cream and Cheese sat on the edge of the bed. Shadow stood by himself near the wall with the T.V. on it.

"It feels so strange without Tails, Cheese... I'm worried for him." Cream murmured softly. Cheese nodded. "Chu.." She chirped sadly.

Amy's eyes sharpened with anger. "Why does Eggman need Tails? He's only nine years-old!"

"I don't know, but whatever the reason, he's gone way too far." Sonic declared. Amy made a little noise, as if she were agreeing with him.

Shadow crossed his arms. "He probably chose him because he's the weakest, but smartest, of us all. Except for Chuck, of course, but I doubt Eggman would even try to kidnap him." He glanced around the room. Everyone glared. "No offense, or anything." He growled under his breath.

Sonic snorted. "Well, whatever the reason, Eggman's gonna pay for it."

"It just seems so unfair to Tails." Chris sighed.

Amy looked at him. "It doesn't _seem_ unfair. It _is_ unfair! Eggman's lost it!"

"If you ask me," Knuckles spoke up "I think Shadow's theory is most likely correct. Why else would he take Tails? He could have just taken me, Sonic, or Shadow. Even Amy, if he was up for it." Amy shot a fiery glare at him

Chuck glanced outside. "That would be a good alibi, but what's the real reason he took Tails? That's what I want to know."

Shadow watched everyone discuss what they think Eggman will do next. _There's a reason, a logical, explanatory reason... I just need to find it._ Shadow looked down at his shoes for a moment before looking back up. "Why don't we go look for him? We might be able to get some better answers directly from Eggman... If we're lucky, we may even find Tails and be able to bring him back."

"Yeah!" Sonic was instantly on his feet. "But... By now Eggman's probably at his headquaters."

Shadow smirked. "That's even better. Eggman always seems to be several steps ahead of us, so perhaps he's gotten onto the bigger stage of his plan."

Cream gave a sad smile. "I get it. That means Tails will already be doing what Eggman kidnapped him for, right? That means we'll have a good chance of finding him."

"Exactly," Sonic flashed a smile at Cream, who brightened a little.

"If you're going," Amy stood up "I'm going too."

Knuckles leaned back in the chair. "Same here. I don't want to miss out in the action."

Shadow whipped a glance at them and growled "No. Only Sonic and I will go. We need to be as low profile as possible... Besides, Amy talks too much and Knuckles gets angry too easily. I'm already dealing with _one_ kid, I don't need two more."

"Hey, what's that supposed to mean?" Knuckles growled, standing.

"Yeah! I don't talk too much, you're just used to the quiet because you're a-" Amy stopped halfway as Shadow sent her a glare so deathly, she lost her breath.  
>"I'm going. <em>Now<em>." Shadow hissed through pointed teeth as he walked down the stairs. Behind him, he heard the rest of the team talking sulkily. "Jeez, what's gotten into him?" Amy asked.

"I don't know... I guess it could have something to do with Maria. He lost _her_, he doesn't need to lose Tails as well. I would be angry if I were him too." Chris said quietly. _Hmph. He'll never really get any of this, will he?_ Shadow hissed in his mind.

"Who cares? He's always like this, just today he's unusually so. I gotta go catch him, or he'll be even more angry. Catch you all on the flip side." Sonic bubbled before opening the floor-hatch and following Shadow down the stairs.

"Where should we check first, Shadow?" Sonic asked after a moment.

"Aren't you supposed to be the leader, or something?" He growled. "Whatever. Let's check downtown first. Eggman is usually quick to send a 'bot out. We should find something there."

Sonic and Shadow remained silent as the _walked_ down the pathway towards the main house. Eventually, Sonic stopped. "Shadow, something else is buggin' you. Something _other_ than Eggman. Why do you care so much for Tails? You dn't even know him nearly as much as I do."

The black and red hedgehog continued walking. "It's really none of your business."

Sonic narrowed his eyes. "Oh yeah? Wanna bet?" Shadow kept walking and didn't answer. Sonic zoomed in front of him and stopped him. "Well? Is it about Maria? Or something entirely different that I, God forbid, don't know about?"

Shadow stared at him, his eyes flashing. "Why do you care so much?"

"Stop answering my questions with questions."

"Then stop asking me questions."

Sonic sighed. "Just tell me; Why do you care so much for Tails?"

Shadow narrowed his eyes and crossed his arms. "I have a soft spot for small and furry foxes." He said dryly.

"Don't give me a sarcastic answer, give me the real answer." Sonic commanded.

"It's none of your damn business!" He pushed past Sonic. "Now let's go find Tails and stop Eggman." He ran out of the Thorndyke house, Ella shaking her fist angrily at him from the scorched skid marks on the floor, and ran towards the city, Sonic beside him.

* * *

><p>A clump of Tails' fur was in front of an alleyway. The end of it was fairly large, brick, and dark.<p>

The moon was just a sliver of white in the starry sky as Shadow and Sonic stood in front of the alleyway, debating if it was a trap or not.

"I say we go in." Sonic said finally.

Shadow watched the darkness of the alley, expecting one of Eggman's 'bots to jump out, holding Tails' captive. "I'm certain it's a trap, Sonic. The vibes in this place are too... sketchy."

"Relax, Shadow. You and me can handle _anything_ Eggman throws at us." Sonic stepped into the darkness of the alley. Reluctantly, Shadow followed.

"I don't know _what_ you expect to find in here..." Shadow muttered.

They reached the end of the alleyway. "Total dead-end. Not even a door for the building." Sonic mumbled.

Shadow suddenly stopped as he heard something from the mouth of the alleyway. Small footsteps echoed throughout it.

Then the clicking of a gun being reloaded.

"Looking for me?" Tails pointed the gun straight at Sonic.

**:o**


	4. Chapter 4

**Taaaaaaaiilllsss ~Sob~ WHY YOU DO DIS?**

**Oh and Idk if you guys like to listen to music while you read, or if you prefer to listen to the music that the author listened to when the wrote the chapters, but I'll tell ya what I was listening to from now on if you like.**

**For this chapter I was listening to 'His World (Instrumental Version)' on youtube repeat for the first half. (Up to where Tails goes badass XD) After that, I listened to 'Mai Minase' By Yuki Kajiura.**

** Chapter Four**

Sonic blinked as he watched Tails raise the gun at the blue hedgehog's chest. "You're kidding, right?" And in that voice, that terrible voice that wasn't his, Tails muttered "Obstacles, obstacles..." Shadow and Sonic both gasped at the same time. His voice was cold and echoed ever-so-slightly.

Shadow flinched as Tails flashed towards them so quickly, he was a flicker of yellow. The butt of the gun hit Shadow's mouth and his eyes watered in pain as he felt blood begin to trickle out of the corner of his mouth. Sonic grabbed Tails and, - as lightly as possible- tossed him back to the mouth of the alleyway. Tails caught himself midair, hovered for a moment, then landed gracefully. His eyes gleamed as he smiled a sick smile.

"You... I was told about you... I was told to eliminate you first." Tails growled at Sonic.

"Oh yeah? And why is that?" Sonic asked, still in a defense stance that was somewhat identical to Shadow's.

Tails grinned. "Because_ you_ are the type to not give up," And then nodded the gun at Shadow, who was wiping blood from the corner of his mouth with his arm. "_He_ is known to hold a grudge... And get angry. But if I eliminated you first, no one would get in the way of killing Shadow with their constant pestering."

Shadow tensed as Tails hand tightened around the gun. _There's no way Tails would do this... Not a chance..._ Sonic pushed Shadow out of the way, rebounding towards the wall right as Tails shot the gun. Shadow whipped his head towards Sonic and growled "I can save myself! You should be dodging your _own_ bullets." Tails shot again, one second after Sonic moved out of the way.

"He's really stickin' to it.." Sonic muttered. He narrowed his eyes and Shadow instantly knew what he was thinking.

"No, don't do it!" Shadow barked, and tried to stop him, but Sonic was already in front of Tails. He attempted to pluck the gun from Tails hand, but Tails snarled and wrenched the gun from his grasp, shooting as he pulled away.

Sonic doubled over as the bullet shot into his stomach. He coughed up some blood, and -with a wavering smile- he grunted "Heh...Nice..shot, buddy.." He managed to stand up straight, but stumbled back a few steps, near the back of the alley.

Shadow blinked. _What the hell does he think he's doing...? He knows how dangerous this is..._ Tails reloaded the gun, ready to shoot again. Shadow hollered. "Stop, Tails!" Tails ignored him and shot twice. One bullet found it's way into Sonic's shoulder, and the other in his chest. Blood spattered the brick walls around them and sprinkled through the air.

"_No!_ Sonic!" Shadow dived towards the body of Sonic, but stopped when he heard the gun reloading. He turned and watched as Tails lowered the gun for a moment. "Why..?"

Tails tipped his head and smiled. "He was nothing but an obstacle, Shadow. All will be revealed in the end."

Shadow narrowed his eyes. _I've had enough of this 'Hushy-hushy' crap!_ "Fight this, Tails! Eggman can't have complete control over you! Fight, damnit!"

Tails raised the gun. Shadow suddenly noticed something about Tails' eyes. The iris' were completely black, no color at all.

Before he could say anything, Tails hissed through oddly pointed teeth "Round two, obstacle two!"

* * *

><p>A girl in a black, leather overcoat jumped down from the top of a building, landing on the roof top below it. She walked to the edge of the roof and pulled out a brown folder and opened it. Inside were pictures of a black and red hedgehog. She smiled as she walked into the faint light from the street lamps below her, illuminating her pure black eyes.<p>

"Shadow..." She whispered as the wind tugged at her overcoat. Her straight blond hair whipped around her face. "I've got you cornered.."

She folded her arms and stared out over the city. Just as she decided she should continue moving, she heard three faint gunshots. She grinned knowingly. "Heh... I've found you, Shadow the Hedgehog.."

She jumped to the next roof top, pulling a silver and black revolver from it's holster. _I'm ready for whatever you throw at me.._

_I've got you now, brother._

**~Is conducting to 'Mai Minase'~** **- ... You... didn't see that...**


	5. Chapter 5

**~Still listening to 'His world (Instrumental)~**

** Chapter Five**

Shadow's eyes widened and he ducked as a bullet the the brick wall in the exact spot where his head just was the moment before. He blinked as dust from the exploding brick tickled his nose and settled around him.

"Nice aim,' He grunted "But bad timing." He stood, wiping blood from his mouth that continued to trickle down his chin. "Tails, Eggman implanted something in your head... Something malevolent. You're a strong kid! I know you can fight this!"

Tails reloaded the gun before pointing it at Shadow. His iris' flickered for a moment, so fast that Shadow thought he imagined it. Tails iris' went from pitch black, to blue, to pitch black again. His eyes suddenly slitted, like a cat. All source of hope evaporated from Shadow.

"No," Tails hissed in that terrible demonic voice. "There's no hope for any of you." He smiled. Tails shot the gun again, barely missing Shadow. The black-and-red hedgehog dodged quickly to the side, throwing his right hand up into the air.

"Chaos, spear!" He hollered, sending a yellow bolt of energy into the nose of the gun. The metal peeled back, burning in an invisible fire. Tails' eyes widened and he threw the gun onto the street -that was outside the alley-, where it eploded in a burst of black smoke.

"So," Tails growled, smiling sickly again. "You _can_ fight. I was begining to think you couldn't. Very well. If you wish to fight by hand, we shall!"

Shadow watched in horror as Tails' gloves ripped open and each finger grew a huge claw-like-talon. "Tails..." Shadow took a step back, compeletly horrified at what has happened. "W-... What has Eggman done to you..."

Tails smirked. "He's improved this mortal's futile body." He flexed the huge claws that shone in the moonlight and chuckled. "It's imperfections... are destroyed..."

"What is that supposed to mean?" Shadow growled. He stared at Tails. _So, Eggman increased his strength, speed and powers... There has to be a loophole, to be able to stop Tails without hurting him.._

Tails let out a thoaty laugh. "Even the 'Ultimate Life-form' has a weakness, Shadow. I, however, don't. You ... You are still as futile as the rest of them.."

Shadow watched Tails intently. Suddenly, he zipped towards Shadow, claws outstretched. Immense pain exploded over the right side of his face as claws scored down it, leaving long and deep scratches. Shadow stumbled, but managed to keep his balance. He dared to put his hand over the scratches, and came back with his glove covered in scarlet liquid.

Blood dribbled from the five deep scores on his face, staining his white fur and covering his black quills. He tried to blink, but his right eye wouldn't move.

His right eye was completely destroyed.

"Futile!" Tails hissed, blood dripping from the claws.

Shadow took several steps back until he was almost against the wall. His good was pinched shut in pain, his other eye throbbing. "Damnit!" He hissed through gritted teeth. He clenched his fists and glared at Tails with his good eye. "Tails, I can't hurt you! I won't, I refuse to. You're only a kid..." He looked away for a moment. "Please don't make me hurt you."

"Tails doesn't _get_ a say anymore!" The thing in Tails has completely taken over. "Tails is dead!" It cackled before whispering "Besides... It's more entertaining to watch you _beg_ for your life!"

Anger welled up in Shadow as he tried to wipe blood out of his good eye. "I'm not begging, I'm _asking_ for you to try and fight!"

"The only thing I'm going to fight is _you_!" It cackled again, it's voice becoming shrill like Tails'. It suddenly stopped laughing. "_You_ are the only obstacle in my way until I'm free.."

"So that's what Eggman wants, that bastard... He wants us killed to get us out of the way.. But for what?" Shadow muttered to himself.

The thing that took over Tails tilted it's head and smirked. "None of it matters to you.. The Doctor has plans for this pathetic planet, and _you're_ in the way!" It dived towards Shadow, pinning him against the wall, his feet no longer touching the ground. Shadow was surprised at the strength it withheld. He thought his ribs might crack if he was held there any longer.

"I can already feel it. I can feel my freedom." It snarled into Shadow's face. "Now," It raised Tails' clawed hand and flexed the blood-drenched talons that threatened to slash Shadow to ribbons. "Die so I can be free!" It raked the claws across Shadow's stomach, scoring deeply into him. Shadow cried out in pain as blood poured out of him, collecting in a pool around his feet. Darkness began to cloud his remaining eye. "Ugh.." He closed his eye but tried to keep it open. It dropped Shadow, and he fell to the concrete, his legs giving out.

As he fell, his head hit the brick wall. _Damn..._ He struggled to keep his eye open. He's lost too much blood.

He was going to die.

The last thing he saw and heard before passing out, was a black mass burst from Tails' mouth, sounding like a thousand people screeching in agony and fear.

**...**


	6. Chapter 6

**Listened to 'Boom Jinx and Andrew Bayer - Keyboard Cowboys (Original Mix)'**

**Don't judge it by the name, it sounds nothing like you'd think it would XD**

** Chapter Six **

Tails opened his eyes and gasped at the instant pain that flooded over him. His jaw felt like it had been wrenched at for hours, his eyes hurt from what felt like crying and he was covered in blood. He thought it was his own, until he looked up that is.

Shadow was on the ground, leaning against the wall. He was still breathing, though. His face was just ravaged and splattered with blood. His stomach was cut open as well, but it didn't look deep enough to be realized that all the blood must be coming from Shadow's wounds.

They were in a dark alley. The moon above them was a simple sliver. As Tails looked around, he realized that there was a bundle at the end of the alley, a blue bundle covered in red... Tails got to his feet, staggered, but managed to regain his balance.

Shadow's good eye suddenly flitted open and he was instantly staring at Tails. He was watching Tails' eyes.

Tails rushed over to him. "Are you OK?"

Shadow stared for a couple moments more then attempted to get to his feet. He fell back against the wall, unable to get up.

"Use Chaos Control?" Tails offered, trying not to stare at Shadow's left eye - Or what was left of it, anyways.

Shadow shook his head and pointed at the blue bundle that was still at the end of the alleyway. Tails started to move towards it, but Shadow grabbed his wrist and pulled him back.

Tails stumbled and plopped down beside Shadow, confused. "Shadow, what-?"

Shadow didn't look at Tails as he spoke. "We can't leave without him." He said hoarsely, like his throat was dry. Tails got up and started to walk towards the bundle. Behind him, Shadow whispered "Save yourself the trouble... Just take my word for it. He's gone.."

Tails knew Shadow was in pain, so whatever was back there that couldn't be left would have too be carried by Tails anyways.

"Tails..." Shadow trailed off, unable to say anything else to comfort the fox as Tails realized who this bundle _was_. As Tails rushed towards Sonic, Shadow found something to say. "I couldn't do anything... I'm sorry..." Tails wailed at the sight of Sonic lying motionless on the ground.

"Who did this?" Tails wailed. "Who killed him? I'll..." He clenched his fists and fell the the ground beside Sonic. "I'll..." Tears dropped from his eyes.

Shadow's voice came from behind him. "Tails..." There was a slight hesitation before Shadow solemnly said "It was you, Tails."

* * *

><p>Shadow closed his good eye as Tails sobbed. <em>How could I let this happen..? I could have taken the bullets... I let them down, and now Sonic is dead because of it...<em>

He tried to swallow some saliva, but his mouth was too dry from all the blood loss, but he forced himself to continue talking. "Tails, it's not your fault... You were forced to do this. Eggman put something in your head that just... took over. You can't help what Eggman does."

Tails shook violently. "I should have been able to stop myself..." He sobbed. "Now Sonic is dead and you're following him..."

Shadow opened his eye. "Don't sweat it about me, Tails. I should be fine in a couple of days." He glanced at Sonic's corpse. "But Sonic..." He sighed. "That will take some time to explain." He forced himself to get to his feet, one hand on the brick wall. He managed to shuffle over to where Tails lay beside Sonic.

"None of us deserved this, Tails. Now let's get back to Chris' house." Shadow whispered hoarsely before kneeling down. He held onto Sonic's hand and Tails' hand, before Chaos Controlling back to the Thorndyke Household.

* * *

><p>She arrived too late. She had, however, managed to snag Shadow's last words before they disappeared.<p>

"It's good to hear your voice again, Shadow." She whispered. "I hope you're OK." The alleyway beneath her was drenched in blood. She didn't even know if anyone survived the fight that obviously took place here.

_I need to find out who this 'Chris' person is... That's were Shadow is, and I doubt he'll be stupid enough to leave in the state he's in._

She looked up.

This was getting easier and easier.

**~Cries on Shadow's shoulder~**

**OHGAWDHOLDME!DON'TDIE,PLEZ!**

**Has anyone else noticed how Shadow always blames himself for other peoples misfortunes? ~Rubs chin thoughtfully~ It's like the 'Maria' incident changed him foreva... ~Hugs Shadow~ DON WORREH, I STILL OVE YOU  
><strong>


	7. Chapter 7

**Was listening to 'Winter Sonata - (Piano and Violin instrumen.' Yeah, I kept it on repeat, it's a pretty short song compared to the chapter XD**

**Btw, this is where I add two new characters!**

** Chapter Seven**

_All my fault, all my fault..._

Tails watched Shadow, his stomach twisting in shame and guilt.

_I could have stopped myself..._ Tails glared down at the carpet. _Why did Eggman have to choose me? _He hissed as he realized._ He chose me because I'm the one Sonic trusts... They wouldn't expect me to try and... kill them.. _He looked back up at Shadow. He was sleeping still. Chuck cleaned his wounds the moment they got there, and he's being doing it everyday since.

Shadow was right - He would be OK in a couple of days or two.

Tails started thinking about when they Chaos Controlled back to Chris Throndyke's house. Everyone was confused at first, but they all started panicking as soon as they saw Sonic. Once they learned about what happened, everyone shunned him, especially Amy. Even Knuckles hasn't said a word to him since they got back. "I'm sorry..." Tails murmured to the unconscious Shadow.

Just then, the hatch to the garage attic creaked open and Amy looked out from underneath the door. Tails looked up and cringed his teeth. Amy's eyes were dull and, when she spoke, her voice was quiet, with a hint of hatred laced in it, like poison.

"There's someone outside who wants to talk to Shadow." She said without her usual emotion.

"He's still asleep," Tails informed her quietly. He looked away and forced himself to continue staring at the carpet.

"Well _if_ he wakes up, tell him some girl wants to talk to him." Amy spat out, every word drenched in impatience and hate. "She said her name is Lucet, or something." She made a little noise in her throat, like she was insulted, before slamming the hatch shut. Tails could feel tears welling up behind his eyelids. _I'm sorry..._ He felt the first tear dribble down his cheek.

"Don't mind her. She's been a natural prick ever since I've known her." A scratchy voice said reassuringly.

Tails looked up.

Shadow was sitting on the edge of the bed, a slight smile on his lips. His right eye was shut tightly.

When Shadow and Tails arrived, Chris' grandfather was instantly helping them. Within thirty-five seconds of lying on the floor of the main entrance, bleeding, Shadow passed out. Water was poured down his throat, to keep him hydrated, as Chuck worked on his wounds. That was three days ago.

"Where did they put Sonic?" Shadow asked, his smile disappearing. He saw his wrist-rings on the side table that sat beside the bed and reached for them.

"Chuck put him in a preservation tube," Tails answered quietly. He got to his feet. "Shadow, are you OK?"

Shadow put his wrist-rings back on, a thoughtful look on his face. He suddenly seemed to realized Tails asked him something and he said "I told you, I'd be fine. So, I'm fine."

"Shadow.. You're not _'Fine'_ ! You're right eye is completely blind!" Tails snapped. "Can you even open it?"

Shadow stared at Tails for a moment, then twisted his face up, attempting to open his dead eye. His right eye twitched before opening an inch. The iris was gray and lifeless. Tails only got a glimpse of Shadow's eye before it snapped shut again. "Urgh.." Shadow grunted and let his face relax. He panted and looked up at Tails, smirking. "See? Fine. It _can_ be opened."

Tails sighed. "This is all my fault... I'm so sorry, Shadow."

Shadow's gaze grew serious as he said "I told you not to sweat it about me. I'm going to be fine." Shadow sighed when Tails didn't answer. He got off the bed and -after losing his balance several times on the way over- pulled Tails to his feet. He looked Tails in the eyes and said "I'm serious, Tails. I'll be fine."

Tails looked up at Shadow and forced a smile.

"Now," Shadow's eye glowed with life again. "Let's go talk to this 'Lucet'."

"Wait, you heard that?" Tails asked, confused. "I thought you were asleep.."

Shadow started walking unsteadily towards the hatch-door on the floor. "Yeah, I was awake the whole conversation."

"Why didn't you say anything?"

"Well, I'm sure as hell _not_ going to wake up around Amy."

"Not after what happened to Sonic?" Tails tilted his head.

Shadow looked back at him. Despite the scars that ruined his head, his face was glowing. "I wouldn't want to wake up around Amy _any_ day." He bent over, almost fell, but managed to keep his balance as he lifted the door.

"You're not going to go to this person, are you?" Tails demanded. "You need rest, you're falling over just standing there!"

Shadow let the door fall back into it's frame. He turned the scarred part of his face towards Tails, as if he could still see through his right eye.

"I'm going to tell you something Tails," Shadow said eventually "That nobody else can know about."

Tails blinked, surprised.

Shadow walked back to the bed, sitting down. Tails thought he saw a flicker of relief when Shadow sat. "When I was in the A.R.K., I wasn't the only experiment made. I was also considered an 'Impending Danger'. Nobody really knew if I was going to snap and kill people on the colony. Professor Gerald Robotnick decided it would be safer if there was a plan to fall back on if that ever happened." He looked down at his wrist-rings, a look of remembering on his face. He almost chuckled. "We all know I'm 'Project: Shadow', but nobody knew about 'Project: Shine'. Gerald mainly called her 'Lucet'... If I'm right, this could be Shine. I haven't seen her since..." He clenched his fists and let out a little laugh. "Funny - She was created to kill me, and yet I want to see her again." He stared off at nothing for a moment before getting up, still wobbly. "I'm going to talk to her."

Tails watched Shadow open the hatch and walk down the stairs.

_I hope you're right, Shadow... I couldn't deal with losing both you and Sonic.._

**None. Of. This. Is. True.**

**Shine is someone I just made up one day and decided to finally put her in a story XD**

**Just saying, because some people don't get it.. lol  
><strong>


	8. Chapter 8

**... This... is a long chapter... So uuh... Listen to whatever fits the mood...lol...**

**I have a massive headache and I feel like I'm going to throw up, so I will probably mess up a few times XD  
><strong>

** Chapter Eight **

Shadow opened the door to the main house and walked in. He ignored Chuck's grunt of surprise and walked into the main entrance.

He stopped briefly, remembering when he passed out. Shadow sighed and shook his scarred head, walking towards the double doors. He opened them.

Shadow blinked. Standing on the porch, a black and white hedgehog stood. She had a black leather overcoat on. She blinked back at him.

She suddenly burst into laughter. "What happened to your face?" She said, choking on laughter. Shadow's shoulders sagged.

* * *

><p>"You…have a sister?" Amy asked, her eyes wide with surprise. Knuckles was outside on the front porch with Amy, Shadow and the newcomer. The Sun's light was slowly disappearing.<p>

"_Twin _sister. I don't know what he did to his face, but it ruined the whole 'Twin' thing." Shine the Hedgehog said, throwing a glance at Shadow.

Knuckles nudged Shadow. "She looks like a female version of you!" He started laughing hysterically, despite all that happened.

"This is a bad time, Shine…" Shadow hissed under his breath. Louder, he said "We've just lost a friend… Sonic the Hedgehog."

"I've heard of him, but I've never met him." Shine said, blinking. "Who nicked him?"

"An experiment Doctor Eggman implanted in a kid named Tails. It took over him and killed Sonic. He almost got me, too."

"Well," She snorted with laughter again. "That explains why you look like you went through a shredder backwards…"

Anger flashed across Shadow. "You really don't know the half of it…"

Shine stood there, a thoughtful expression on her face. She was almost the same as Shadow, except she had white stripes instead of red, her iris' were pure white, and her shoes were black, gray and white. "Can I see this Tails kid?" She said after a moment.

Shadow blinked, then narrowed his only eye. "Why do _you_ want to see Tails?" He growled. He wasn't going to let _anything_ happen to Tails. Not again.

Shine looked at him as if he should know. "Well, depending on the type of mechanism Eggman used on Tails, there could be some sort of residual information left in him, - Plans, names, locations, etc." She blinked at him. "I suppose the slightest bit of information could help you."

"And how are _you_ going to find this 'Residual Information'?" Shadow asked suspiciously.

Shine smirked at him. "You've forgotten already?" She shrugged. "You're not the only mechanically altered life-form. I've got some tricks up my sleeves."

Shadow shifted his unbalanced weight. " And I take it, you aren't going to tell me?"

"Boy, nothing gets past _you_, huh?" Shine poked his forehead. Shadow's shoulders sagged again. _Why is she acting like we've been good friends ever since the beginning? _Shine's eyes brimmed with laughter. _It's like she thinks we're the perfect siblings._

"What are you, Sherlock Holmes?" Shadow retorted, flicking Shine's finger off his forehead. "How do I know you can be trusted?"

"Come on, Shadow," Shine shot him a side glance."If I wanted to kill you, I would've been in and out of that room before anyone even noticed." She pulled her coat to the side, revealing a silver and black revolver with the word 'Celeste' etched expertly on it. "That little squirt wouldn't have even noticed." She nodded towards the gun. "She's not even loaded."

"And that's supposed to make me trust you?" Shadow narrowed his good eye.

"Really?" Shine put her hand on her hip. "Really, Shadow? Boy, you really haven't changed, have you?"

Shadow looked down at the gun. Shine followed his one-eyed gaze and sighed. "Well aren't you just a picky prick?" She took 'Celeste' out of it's holster and handed it to Shadow. "Do try not to hurt her. I had her expertly made." Shadow held out his other hand.

"Bullets?"

"My god, I take my former comment back." She muttered as she dug her hand into her coat pocket, pulling a plastic container full of bullets out. She dropped it in her twin's hand. When he didn't put his hand down, Shine sighed. "What am I going to do with bullets and no gun? Punch them into your face?" She hissed, pulling another two packs out from her pockets. "Happy? Now come on, I have a feeling you need the info."

Shadow loaded the gun. "Yeah. And if you hurt Tails," He snapped the barrel to the gun shut, his eye flashing deathly warnings.

"Whatever. Do you want the info, or not?"

Shadow led the way into the house, Shine and Knuckles behind him.

Shine glanced at Knuckles, who was walking alongside her. She grinned "Well aren't you just a lovely character."

Knuckles looked at her. "What?" He looked away, blushing, as they walked along the path towards the garage.

"Don't worry, hon." Shine smiled, her white iris' shimmering. "There's_ really_ no insult implied."

"I still don't know if I should be insulted, or flattered..." Knuckles muttered.

"You should be flattered. Besides, flattery definitely has a better feeling to it." Shine looked back at the garage as they neared it.

Knuckles blushed even harder, folding his arms across his chest, looking away.

They entered, and Shadow started up the stairs first. "He's been zoning out a lot, so-" He was cut off by a panicked holler from the attic. "Tails!" Shadow called up. He disappeared from the stairs, appearing in the attic.

He stopped as he saw the intruder, then started towards her, only to be intercepted by Shine.

"Don't touch her!" Shine snarled, shielding the intruder with her body. "You may have my gun, but if you touch her, you're dead!"

Shadow looked past her, at Tails. He was hiding in the corner of the bed, his tails wrapped around his nose. He was frightened, but otherwise fine.

"Kat, what in god's name are you doing up here?" Shine hissed at the intruder, who shrunk back.

The intruder was a female fox, about the same age as Tails, and had light blue boots on. Her fur was a shade darker than Tails'. She looked up at Shine. "I'm sorry! While I was waiting for you, I was bored. I saw this fox, so I climbed in, to talk to him, y'know?" Her gloved hand whipped towards Tails, who flinched. "Look! He has two tails! Isn't that weird?"

"It doesn't matter, you don't go into people's houses like this!" Shine pulled the young fox to her feet.

Knuckles burst in. "What the hell is going on, here?" He looked at the fox. "Who is this?"

Shine glanced over he shoulder at Tails before saying "This is Katherine Apallo Karma. I kind of take care of her."

"I'm so glad you finally ditched that body, Shine. I like you better as a hedgehog." Kat commented.

Shine stretched. "I do too. It's good to be back." Then she swatted Kat lightly on the head. "Get out. I need to talk to this fox."

"I'm a fox, talk to me." Kat said, flattening her ears.

"No, get out. I have to talk to _Tails_, not Kat."

Kat narrowed her lilac blue eyes. "Don't hurt him, OK?" With that, she walked onto the porch, clambered onto the railing. She balanced there for a moment, before jumping up, onto the roof, disappearing from sight.

Shine sighed and looked back at Tails. "Sorry. She doesn't have any friends, really, short of me. Now come over here."

Shadow narrowed his eye. "You could be less blunt about it, you know." He muttered.

Tails stepped off the bed and looked at Shine. "I take it you're shine? Shadow's sister? What do you want with me?"

Shadow's face was an emotionless, scarred mask, but he was surprised underneath, nonetheless. Where had Tails gotten this new courage?

"Yeah, what are you planning, Shine?" Knuckles growled suspiciously.

Shine turned and patted Knuckles on the head. "Don't you worry a single dread on that pretty little head of yours."

"Paws off," Knuckles growled. "How can you be so comfortable around complete and total strangers?"

Shine smiled and withdrew her hand. "I don't like to be like Sir Chats-a-lot, over there." She said, nodding towards Shadow. "Besides, what's to worry about? I can handle anything you throw at me."

Suddenly, the attic's hatch opened and Chris walked in. "Hi. Amy told me you guys were up here. It's nice to meet you, Shine." He dropped his school bag in the corner. "Shadow, it's good to see you on your feet again." He tilted his head. "Why didn't you tell us you had a sister?"

"She's not someone I particularly _want_ to claim relations to." Shadow muttered.

"Wow. You guys _do_ look alike. Amy told me you were twins, but you're basically the same in every way except for..." He trailed off, looking at Shadow's scars. Chris' shoulders sagged and he looked like he might cry.

"Again," Shadow sighed, ignoring Chris' reaction. "Not something I'm particularly fond of."

Shine poked his chest fur and Shadow sighed as she said "You love me, you just can't admit it." She grinned.

Shadow pushed her hand away again. _There's a difference between _can't_ and _won't_.__.._ He muttered in his head.

"I'm Christopher Thorndyke," Chris held his hand out to Shine, who shook his hand pleasantly. "What are you guys doing up here?"

Shine turned to Tails. "I was just about to ask Tails if he'd like to try and help us."

Tails looked at her. "Help you? How? I can't remember much of anything."

"For starters," Shine walked up to him "Let me check something out."

Tails flinched. "It's alright, Tails." He held the gun up to show the young fox. "Let's see where this is going." Chris took one look at the gun and gasped.

"Shadow, is that loaded? Why do you have a gun in the house? Put it down!"

"Relax, it'll be fine. It's not like I've never used a gun before."

Attention was brought back to Shine and Tails, though Chris still looked uneasy with the gun around. Shine was staring at Tails' eyes.

"Every time you blink, does it feel like someone is sticking a needle in your eyes?" Tails shook his head. "That's what I figured..." She muttered.

"What is she doing?" Chris asked Shadow and Knuckles.

"Yeah, _Shadow_, what _is_ she doing?" Knuckles growled.

"I don't know, but whatever it is, it's strange alright." Shadow muttered.

"Amen," Knuckles agreed as he leaned against the wall. Chris sat in one of the beanbag chairs. Shadow remained standing.

Shine suddenly poked Tails' lower jaw, and Tails yelped out in surprise. "Ha!" Shine took a few steps back, triumphantly."Found it!"

Chris looked at her expectantly. "Found what?"

"Shadow said something about Eggman 'Implanting a creature in Tails' head'. That's wrong." She turned to Shadow. "Something was _released_ into him, not implanted. From the way Tails reacted when I poked his jaw, he put up a hell of a fight." She looked at Chris. "Excuse my french."

Chris blinked.

"So what are you going to do now?" Shadow asked, slightly intrigued.

"Now?" She smiled at Shadow. "Now, dearest brother, it's _my_ turn to enter Tails' head."

**Ugh... My finger hurts... That was a long chapter... Now I'm just complaining about random things... It's dark in here... ~Keeps complaining about her shoes in a monotone~  
><strong>


	9. Chapter 9

**This chapter...REALLY isn't as long as the last... Maybe... Idk... lol**

** Chapter Nine  
><strong>

Shine watched Shadow's reaction. While everything was silent, Shine took a moment to actually take in the severity of her brother's scars.

Being mechanically engineered, both Shadow and Shine heal quite easily. That being said, Shadow must have gotten the wounds three to four days ago, from the looks of them. They were already pink scores. They must have been pretty deep, though, because Shadow's quills were not going to grow back at all.

There were nine in all - Five across his face, and four on his stomach. He's quite lucky he survived that.

Fifty years ago, Shadow and Shine were shot into space in escape pods. Forty-five years later, Shine was released by a farmer, who discovered Shine deep under his land while he was digging to make a pond for a little fox named Katherine. Two years later, the farmer died. He had no other family, short of Katherine Apallo Karma, a three-year-old fox. On the day that farmer died, Shine swore she would take care of Kat.

Shadow broke into her thoughts. "What do you mean... by that..."

Shine blinked back at him. "It's exactly what you think it means. I'm going to go into Tails' head and see if the creature Eggman released on Tails left any information we can use."

"No way! You're not going into his head, not after what happened! He's been through enough of tha-" Shadow was cut off by Tails.

"I see what she means, Shadow. I think we could try..." Tails murmured.

Chris looked at him. "Tails, are you sure?"

"If it helps us, then I'll give it a shot."

Shadow bristled angrily, despite being unsteady and weak still. He glared at everyone angrily. _He doesn't want a recurrence..._ Shine thought to herself.

"If it makes you feel any better," Shine said after a moment "I'm not quite going in. Only my conscious is. My body will remain here, where you can see it."

"And I suppose this is one of those 'tricks' you were talking about earlier?" Shadow hissed, trying to let his anger simmer.

"Yeah, one of them." Shine smiled.

Shadow glared at her for a moment, then growled "Why didn't you just tell us this before-hand?"

Shine shrugged. "I didn't want to unless I had to."

Tails piped up "Can we please start? It's getting dark out and Shadow needs to rest."

"Which explains why he's so snippy," Knuckles muttered. Shadow whipped his to face the Echidna with a one-eyed glare.

"What did you say?" Shadow snarled at him.

"I said nothing, nothing at all." Knuckles said, putting his hands up. He pointed at Shine. "Now watch what's happening."

Shine snorted. She turned to Tails. "Try not to move, but brace yourself. Any you felt, you will feel again as you relive the memory. Any pain or memory will probably be breath-taking and quite vivid, but don't worry, I'll feel it too."

Knuckles nudged Shadow and said something to him quietly. While Shadow answered, Shine took this moment to talk to Tails. "My image for you won't change in the slightest. If anything, it will be better. I hope you remember that for me. I don't know what Shadow told you, but I'm not that bad of a person."

Tails looked at her for a moment, then looked away. Shine couldn't tell if he was angry, and, if he was, who he was angry at.

Shadow was already looking back at Shine. "This had better be worth it. And if you hurt him.."

Shine felt anger swell inside of her. _Don't bring that up, Shadow..._ She murmured in her head.

She sighed and placed her hands on Tails' head. "Let's get started, hm?" Shine watched as Shadow narrowed his eyes at her suspiciously.

"How exactly are you going to go about this?" He growled.

Shine sighed. "Am I doomed to never start? Look, Shadow, we may be uncannily alike, but Professor Robotnik tweaked me just a tiny bit more than you. I can take over bodies, and use them as hosts. I can make it so _they_ have control, or I can make it so only _I_ have control, or it can be split. Now, shut your trap, so I finish this."

Shine found it funny how Shadow didn't remember some of the most important things from the A.R.K. .

She put her hands back on the top of Tails' head and closed her eyes for a moment. When she opened them again, the iris' were no longer white, but they were midnight black.

Shadow's eye widened. "Your eye... It's like that thing that was in Tails! Is it the same power, you think?"

Shine smirked. "Perhaps. After-all, Egmman and the Professor aren't too different from each other... Right, Shadow?"

She as Shadow flinched with anger. "You shouldn't have to ask me. _You_ of all people would know what Gerald thinks." He snarled. "Now finish. You and I need to _chat_."

Shine rolled her eyes. "Fine, fine, don't be so picky." She looked down at Tails. "Brace yourself. This may hurt."

Tails simply nodded.

Shine closed her eyes again and focused on Tails, until she was able to tune her conscious with his. It was like opening a door - Once you open it, you can walk right in.

Well, she walked in.

The memory was hazy, but still there. A little rabbit-girl and her chao were laughing at Tails, when something interupted. Shine felt impact on her own body, as if _she_ was tackled. A robot brought Tails down, a second robot releasing the creature on Tails.

That's where Shine focused. This thing crawled down Tails' throat and rooted itself in his brain. Shine managed to snag one bit of info before the memory moved on - This creature's name was Mortuus.

The next memory was about seven and a half hours later, when Tails woke up in the alley. Shine remembered feeling agony, guilt and depression flood into Tails the moment he looked at Shadow.

Shadow was in a horrible state, almost completely drenched in blood. His eye was swollen and weeping blood instead of the odd stream of tears, like his other eye.

Shine wanted to get out of Tails head. She was in there for less than a minute, and already the memories were to horrible for her to stand.

She dragged her conscious out, desperate to be in her own head. She didn't want to see her brother like that, or feel the pain Tails endured. She wanted to stay sane.

Shine gasped and opened her eyes. They faded from black, back to white. Instantly, she hugged Tails. "I'm so sorry," She whispered.

Tails didn't answer, but she could feel him shaking, crying.

Shine looked up at Shadow.

Everyone was staring at Shine, except for Shadow.

She closed her eyes, feeling her own tears for Tails and Shadow welling up.

**Not so long, really not short... lol**


	10. Chapter 10

**For the beginning, I was listening to 'Orphans of Doom / The Awakening', from the old Conan the Barbarian movie. At the line, I listened to Ferry Corsten's, 'On My Mind'**

** Chapter Ten  
><strong>

Shadow sat on the garage roof, thinking. The moon was no longer a sliver, but now at least a quarter full. Stars dotted the black sky around it.

He heard the sound of the porch doors sliding open, and Shine walked out. She leaned back against the railing, looking up at her brother. "Hey," She said, a faint smile playing on her lips. A futile attempt to lighten the mood.

Shadow didn't answer, and he looked away from her, towards the trees on the other side of the Thorndyke property.

"I figured you'd be up here," Shine continued. "Mind if I join you?" She jumped up onto the roof and sat beside him.

It was quiet. Shine pulled her legs up to her chest and opened her mouth to say something, but quickly closed it, lost for words.

Shadow didn't look away as he spoke. 'I know," He murmured quietly, knowing what she wanted to say.

Shine sighed. "He shouldn't have had to go through that.." She looked down at her black leather boots. "I feel so sorry for you guys."

"I don't know what Eggman was thinking," Shadow growled "But nobody should have gone through that. Especially not someone like Tails."

Shine was quiet for a moment, before saying "He's like a little brother to you, isn't he?" When Shadow didn't answer, she continued "I bet he's more of a sibling then I'll ever be." Shine chuckled.

Shadow continued to stare at the trees.

"Do you remember the first time we met?" Shine asked quietly.

"Yes." Shadow replied just as quietly. His head suddenly started to feel unstable.

Shine looked up at the night sky. "You weren't too thrilled to see me, I suppose." She didn't look away from the sky. "It's because of something Maria said, isn't it?"

Shadow looked down at the grass below them, his head getting worse. "All she did was tell me why you were created. She was only repeating what the Professor had told her."

Shine looked at him. "Gerald lied to her, Shadow." She blinked. "Shadow? Shadow!" She jumped to her feet.

Shadow had his hand on his head. He couldn't see a thing, and his head felt like it weighed one thousand pounds. He grunted, trying to speak.

"Shadow!" Shine's voice sounded far away as she dived towards her brother, catching his hand as he rolled off the roof in dizziness.

The last thing Shadow remembered, was Shine desperately pulling Shadow back onto the roof, calling for Knuckles' help.

* * *

><p><em>The A.R.K. was a quiet, lonely place. From it's position in space, you could see the Earth in the North, East, and South windows.<em>

_ Shadow the Hedgehog stood in front of one of these windows, staring at Earth longingly. An electric door slid open behind him, and heels echoed towards him. "What are you doing out here, Shadow?" A girl's voice asked curiously._

_ "Hello, Maria." Shadow greeted silkily. "I was just thinking."_

_ Maria Robotnik walked over and sat beside him, staring out the window too. A reflection of the Earth glazed her watery blue eyes._

_ "That seems to be the only thing we can do lately." Maria murmured softly, still staring at the Earth._

_ Shadow sighed "You shouldn't be up here Maria."_

_ Maria looked up at him. "You don't want to talk? Do you want me to leave?"_

_ Shadow shook his head and blinked at her. "I mean you shouldn't be on the colony. You deserve to be down there, where there's a sky over your head and ground under you feet." He looked back at Earth. "Someday, we'll both be down there."_

_ They were quiet for a moment before Maria said "My uncle said he's finishing a project." She looked up at Shadow. "He said it was important that nobody knows, so we can't tell anyone. I wasn't supposed to even tell you._

_ Shadow looked down at her again. "What do you mean? Why doesn't he want anyone to know?"_

_ "It was a secret, he said." Maria shifted uncomfortably on the ground, and brushed her bright blond hair over her shoulder. "He told me that... this project was made to kill you."_

_ A feeling of dread washed over Shadow. "What do you mean by that?" He growled._

_ "It was made to kill you, you know, in case you ever starting hurting the people on the colony." Maria blinked and looked back out the window. "I think he just wanted to be safe, and have a back up plan in case something ever _did_ happen. I told him it was unnecessary, but he just wants to be careful."_

_ Shadow looked down at her. "Why did he tell you, if he wanted it kept a secret?"_

_ "I think he wants to show you it himself. I also think he wants you and the project to know what you're up against - He doesn't want either of you destroyed."_

_ Shadow looked thoughtful for a moment, then said "When do we get to meet it?"_

_ "Soon," Maria said. "It's not quite done yet. Did you know, he started it before you? Yeah, it's weird."_

_ Shadow shrugged. "It might better to have another person to talk to. You have to admit, it gets quite a bit lonely up here, with just us."_

_ Maria nodded in agreement._

* * *

><p><em> "Shadow!" Maria called for her brother-like companion. "Shadow!"<em>

_ "What?" Shadow walked out of a tiny room. "Maria?" _

_ Maria stood in the hallway, looking down at Shadow. She seemed out of breath. "My Uncle..." She puffed "Wants to see you."_

_ Shadow tilted his head, and Maria nodded quickly. "It's time." She whispered, almost excited._

* * *

><p><em> Shadow and Maria stood in Professor Gerald Robotnik's secret lab. Nobody knew it existed, except for Shadow and Maria.<em>

_ The Professor stood behind some computers and keyboards, typing eagerly. "I've finished it," He told them as he typed. "I finished my latest project. Her name is 'Project: Lucet', but I want you to call her Shine." He looked at Shadow. "She's your sister."_

_ Shadow blinked. The only sister he's only had, has been Maria, even though they weren't related by blood._

_ "There," The Professor muttered, flipping several blue switches on the button pad in front of him. The tube in the middle of the room suddenly started to open, steam escaping it as soon as it opened._

_ Shadow watched in fascination as a black-and-white hedgehog stepped out of the tube. Her eyes were a stunning white, and her shoes were black, gray and white._

_ "Greetings, Shine." Gerald said brightly. He motioned towards Shadow. "This is your brother, Shadow the Hedgehog."_

_ Shine blinked her shimmering white eyes at Shadow. "Hello." She said in a silky tone._

_ Shadow nodded towards her. Maria waved. "I'm Maria, your creators niece. It's nice to finally be able to meet you."_

_ Gerald walked over to Shine and frowned. "Turn around for a moment." Shine did as she was told, and turned. Shadow saw she had two long gouges going down her back. "Oh dear.." Gerald murmured. "We'll have to make sure those heal, won't we?"_

_ Maria rested her hand on Shadow's shoulder, her grip tightening. "She..looks like you.." Maria whispered._

_ As if on cue, Gerald said proudly "She's your twin, Shadow. Short of those weird scars on her back, I mean."_

_ Shadow stared at Shine, who smiled back at him._

I don't know if I can trust her,_ Shadow thought to himself_ But if the Professor says she's fine, I'm going to have to trust _him_.

**That was just...a weird ass chapter...**


	11. Chapter 11

**...**

**So I switched to 'Leave out all the Rest' by Linkin Park from a really weird Japanese song, but it's not quite up-beat enough... XD But whatever, it works, just a little I guess -_-**

** Chapter Eleven**

_ Shadow the Hedgehog and Maria Robotnik ran down a corridor, their footfalls echoing loudly. Maria was gasping for breath as she ran alongside Shadow, trying to keep up with him. Shadow, on the other hand, was slowing his pace to let Maria be able to run beside him._

_ "I can't keep going," Maria cried out, her eyes filled with panic. "Go without me, Shadow! I'll be fine."_

_ "I'm not leaving you behind!" Shadow barked and grabbed onto Maria's wrist, continuing to run._

_ A gunshot sounded from behind them and a nearby light exploded. As glass showered around them, the two turned as saw a _G.U.N._ officer just a little bit past the doorway of the glass corridor. He reloaded his gun and shot again._

_ Beside Shadow, Maria pulled her hand away from him, crying out in pain. She pressed her hand against her left shoulder and squeezed her eyes shut._

_ "Maria!" Shadow hollered. Blood trickled out from between Maria's fingers, staining her blue dress crimson._

_ Shadow started towards the man._

_ "Stop! Shadow, please don't hurt him!" Maria begged. Shadow stopped, halfway between Maria and the _G.U.N_ officer._

_ Shadow turned towards Maria. "He shot you," He growled. "We've done nothing!"_

_ Maria opened her eyes, tears collecting in them. "And we should keep it that way!" _

_ The _G.U.N _officer backed away in fear of Shadow, his eyes widening behind the visor. Shadow sighed and ran back to Maria. As he reached her, he heard the officer cry out in pain. Shadow turned and watched Shine the Hedgehog step over the now-unconscious officer._

_ "Looks like you two need a hand." She said walking up to them._

_ Maria's hand tightened over her wound as Shadow growled "You were supposed to meet us Docking Bay."_

_ Shine shrugged. "I had a couple of things to do, first. Besides," She glanced at Maria "It seems like you need my help."_

_ "No one _asked _you for help!" Shadow snarled. He grabbed onto Maria's hand and ran down to the corridor, ignoring Shine's grunt of surprise._

_ "Shadow, just go with Shine!" Maria gasped for breath. "You can still get off the colony!" _

_ Violently shaking his head, Shadow growled "I'm not leaving you behind, Maria."_

_ "Why? You can still make it, Shadow. I..." Maria trailed off. Then she huffed "Why are you saving me, Shadow?"_

_ Shadow kept his eyes forward as he ran along, dragging Maria with him. "Because, that's what you do when your friends are in danger. You help them." He murmured. "I won't leave you behind, Maria. I promise."_

_ Maria watched him with glorious blue eyes. Then she looked away, pressing her hand harder against her bullet wound. Tears dripped off her chin, mingling with the blood that trailed down her arm._

_ Shine suddenly appeared beside them. Shadow narrowed his eyes. "I thought I told you to go on without us, and meet us at the Docking Bay."_

_ Shine didn't look at them as she ran. "Yeah. I think it would be safer if I came with you. You can't fight everyone, Shadow." She glanced at him. _

_ Shadow grounded his teeth together angrily, but continued on anyways. _

_ As each window pane passed, Shadow could feel Maria slowing down. _She's losing a lot of blood, _Shadow thought to himself. He looked at Maria. She was getting more and more pale by the second, struggling to catch her breath. Shadow sighed. He had hardly broken a sweat._

_ He ran behind Maria and swept her up off the ground. Now with Maria safe in his arms, Shadow ran faster down the corridor. Shine sped along beside him, both their shoes streaking the floor tiles with fiery marks._

_ Suddenly, all the lights switched off. Shadow and Shine stopped. "What's going on?" Maria gasped._

_ "_ATTENTION ALL UNITS! THE SUBJECTS ARE IN SECTOR FIVE, CORRIDOR TWO! REPEAT, THE SUBJECTS ARE IN SECTOR FIVE, CORRIDOR TWO! ALL UNITS ARE ORDERED TO DROP THEIR POST AND CAPTURE THE SUBJECTS, DEAD OR ALIVE!_" A voice boomed over the loud-speakers. Red lights blinked on, and a huge siren cried._

_ "We don't have time to get to the Docking Bay!" Shine shouted over the the noise. "We'll have to use an escape pod and hope we get where we want!"_

_ Shadow looked at Shine. Her white stripes and her eyes were tainted red from the lights. He realized she had a black coat on. He was in too much of a panic earlier to notice._

_ Loud crashes from behind them made Maria scream in fear. _G.U.N._ robots had crashed through the wall at the end of the corridor._

_ "Let's go!" Shine hollered, running at full speed down the corridor, Shadow right behind her, still holding Maria._

_ They were close to the other doors of the corridor now. Just a little bit further from there, and they'd be able to get at one of the many rooms filled with escape pods._

_ The panicked trio skidded to a stop as a huge, two-legged fighter 'bot burst through the walls. Just as Shadow was about to set Maria down so he could fight, Shine thrust her left hand in front of him. She didn't look at them. "You guys keep going. This time I _will_ meet you there. _I'll _deal with this party-crasher."_

_ Maria was about to say something, but Shadow kept going. He couldn't afford to lose time - Or Maria. _

_ Undeterred by Shine, Shadow ducked underneath the 'bot and leaped through the huge hole it made._

_ "Shadow, you have to help her!" Maria begged loudly over the sirens._

_ "No, I need to get us to the escape pods. Shine is on her own, for now." Shadow hollered back. Now he was in the actual colony hallways, speeding quickly towards the one of the rooms that have escape pods in them._

_ He finally reached it. He set Maria down gently and turned towards the escape pods. There were about twenty of them._

_ "We need to go, right now, when we have the chance." Shadow growled._

_ Maria shook her head. "What about Shine? What if the _G.U.N._ men lock all the doors?"_

_ "There's a room of escape pods in each sector." Shadow reminded her. "If she's actually as fast as me, she'll be able to make it to one of them in time."_

_ Maria sunk to her knees. Shadow watched her for a moment, itching to get off the A.R.K., but he was only going to leave if Maria did._

_ "Shadow," Maria said quietly, just barely audible over the loud sirens. Her tear-stained face was etched with the red light. "Promise me that when you get to the Earth, you'll help the people there." She looked up at Shadow. "Promise me that you'll help them, and protect them when you get there. The Professor says there's a lot of bad people down there, but I don't believe him. I believe there's only bad choices." Tears welled up in her eyes again. "Please, Shadow."_

_ Shadow watched her, his own eyes stinging with tears. His eyes and voice softened. "I promise, Maria." He whispered. Suddenly his eyes narrowed. "Don't act like you'll never make it there." He growled. "You can't give up right when we're winning."_

_ "But they already have Gerald! How will we survive down on Earth without him to look after us?" Maria cried out in exhaustion and defeat._

_ "It doesn't matter! We can survive without him!" Shadow snapped. Just as he was about to continue talking, the doors to the room opened, silent because of the over-lapping sirens._

_ Shine walked in, covered with dust and oil. She grinned. "For my first real fight, that went pretty well."_

_ Shadow pulled Maria to her feet. "Let's go! Now!"_

_ Shine followed them towards the first three escape pods, when the doors opened again behind them._

_ "Stay where you are, or I'll shoot!" A man shouted authoritatively. Shine and Shadow both turned at the same time at looked at the man. The man's gun didn't even waver. "Stay still, you over-grown lab rats!"_

_ Maria turned, too, and froze when she saw the gun was pointed at Shadow. Without saying a word, Maria shoved Shadow into a nearby pod, and closed it. Before Shine could react, Maria pushed her into the escape pod next to Shadow's. Maria locked both of them with a simple press of a button._

_ The man with the screamed at her "Get on your knees with your hands behind your head!" _

_ Maria looked at him, then back at Shadow and Shine, who were shouting in the pods, slamming their fists against the tube's glass. Maria blinked away tears. _

_ "I said 'Get on your knees, put your hands behind your head'!" The man repeated._

_ "I'm sorry," She whispered to the man._

_ "Maria!" Shadow screamed as the girl pulled a lever. Shadow's pod dropped, but not before he watched the man's gun fire, and three bullets tore into Maria's chest, her blood spraying Shadow's pod's glass._

_ Shadow and Shine fell away from the Space Colony A.R.K. in the escape pods. Shadow saw the colony's red-tainted windows, and the man who shot Maria standing in the room with the remaining escape pods._

_ The two hedgehogs drifted silently towards Earth, Shadow staring aimlessly out the blood sprayed glass into the oblivion of space.  
><em>

_ "Maria..." Shadow whispered, sliding to his knees._


	12. Chapter 12

**'Epitaph' by Yuki Kajiura**

**Kinda reminds me of the song from the 'Shadow the Hedgehog Game', when Shadow had to choose between choosing to help Maria, Prof. Gerald, or himself... Also kinda makes me sad because of that reason XD Maria sounded so sad in that level... T 3 T**

** Chapter Twelve**

"Shadow?"

Shadow opened his eye, a head ache pounding in his temples. His vision blurred, all he could see was a yellow shape. He was lying in a bed, the sheet draped delicately on him. He blinked his eye until his vision cleared.

Tails sat in a chair next to the bed. "Shadow?" He repeated. "Are you OK?" Shadow started to sit up, but Tails stopped him. "You still need to rest! Lay down!"

Shadow grudgingly laid back down, but in a way that he could look at Tails without having to crane his neck. "I'm fine." He said quietly.

Tails' eyes softened. "Were you having a nightmare? You were talking a lot in your sleep."

Shadow stared at the quilted sheet before replying. "I suppose so, yes."

They were quiet for a moment, before Tails whispered "You said 'Maria' a lot. Were you dreaming of the A.R.K.?"

The black and red hedgehog hesitantly nodded. Eager to change the subject, Shadow asked "What happened? All I remember is sitting on the roof at night."

"You and Shine were talking on the roof. She wouldn't tell me what, exactly, but she _did_ say you were acting light-headed. She said something and then you passed out and almost fell off the roof. Shine caught you, but needed Knuckles' help to get you back onto the roof. She said you were 'a dead weight'." Tails explained.

_Thank you, Shine, for not going into detail... For once, that's actually helpful, _Shadow thought as he stared of the window. A shaft of sunlight poured through the window and sat on the carpet, dust motes dancing through the light.

Shadow blinked his eye as Tails asked quietly "Why did you save me, Shadow?"

"What? What do you mean by that?" Shadow looked at Tails, who was picking invisible lint off his gloves.

"Why didn't you kill me so you could get away?"

Shadow's eye softened. "Too many lives have been sacrificed for me..." He whispered quietly. Tails looked up at Shadow, confused. "Besides, it wasn't really _you_ trying kill me. It was Mortuus. _You _trying to fight that thing."

Tails blinked his eyes. "But... I'd rather have died than see you like this forever..." He suddenly looked curious. "Why do you care so much for me? You don't know me nearly as much as Sonic did. I did nothing for you. In fact, I almost killed you. So why is it that you care for me? Why did you spare my life?"

Shadow looked at the ceiling as he spoke. "It's what you do when your friends are in danger." He whispered, his stomach lurching as memories resurfaced from his dreams. "You help them." He could feel tears stinging his eye as he smiled, still looking at the ceiling. "Besides, I couldn't hurt you, Tails."

Tails sat beside the bed, staring at Shadow. His blue eyes were on the verge of tears.

* * *

><p>Shine sat on the couch in Christopher Thorndyke's living room. The kid himself was sitting next to Shine, and Cream and Cheese were watching the T.V., dancing along to a strange children's show. Shine had her arms and legs crossed as she totally zoned out, staring at the wall.<p>

_I wonder what made Shadow pass out..._ She thought to herself. _Did I strike something up in his memories that was too much for him, or was he just too exhausted to keep going?_

"It's strange to have someone who looks like Shadow around." Chris said, almost to himself.

Shine blinked at him. "It's strange to be _around_ Shadow again."

Chris lowered his voice so Cream and Cheese won't hear their conversation. His dark blue eyes flashed as he asked "Can you tell me about Maria?"

Shine looked back at Cream and Cheese, before sighing. "I can say very little about her." She looked back at Chris and lowered her own tone. "I know that Shadow and Maria were extremely close." She forced her voice to stay normal, even though she wanted to make it sour and angry. "They were like brother and sister, and completely inseparable. Shadow was only trusted by Maria, so they became friends."

Chris tilted his head. "Wouldn't the Professor trust his own creation?"

Shine's stomach did a flip. This kid was annoying, digging his nose in business that wasn't his own. Sooner or later, he's going to learn that some things are meant to be left alone, and some things you just won't want to hear at all. Shine almost sighed, coming to the conclusion that he'll learn the hard way.

Chris saw her hesitation and his shoulders sagged. "Sorry," He apologized. "It's just that Shadow refuses to say anything about the A.R.K.."

"If Shadow doesn't want you to know about what happened on the colony, that's his business. He's never really been a chatty person, even with Maria." Shine grunted.

Chris shrugged. "I suppose. I just wish Shadow could trust me."

_Poor little tyke,_ Shine looked back at the T.V., which had a campaign commercial for the president. _It appears he wants to replace Sonic,unconsciously so._

Chris got up. "I should probably go see if my grandpa needs any help. See you later, Shine." The kid waved 'good-bye' before walking towards the door that led to the garage.

Shine watched him. Chris has been trying to deal with Sonic's death in a really weird way. He's been pretending like Sonic isn't gone forever, only off on a mission. The other day, Shine heard him talking in his room. He said "It's been a long time since Sonic left. I wonder if he's OK..."

Shine felt for him. He was only twelve. But... She felt for Tails way more, having experienced what the fox did. She closed her eyes and forced the gruesome images back into the darker corners of her mind, not wanting to see them again.

_I can see why Shadow's so quiet all the time, now. He watched Maria die... She was his best friend, and like a sister to him. He still blames himself for her death, obviously. But he's right, isn't he? We could have found a way out of those escape pods she pushed us into. We could have stopped that man from shooting Maria... _Shine sighed. _There's just no winning for the good guys _ever_, is there?_


	13. Chapter 13

**'Hear Our Prayer', by Yuki Kajiura**

**.3. **

** Chapter Thirteen**

Shadow had his head on his knees as he sat on the bed in the attic.

Ella, Chris' housekeeper, had come up to the attic numerous times, offering books, magazines, games and she even offered to bring a T.V. up for him. However, Shadow declined each time. He wanted to be able to think.

He rubbed his face tiredly, his heart sinking when his hand passed over the scars on his eye. _I'd rather have died than see you like this forever..._ Tails' voice echoed in his mind. Perhaps it really _might_ have been best if he killed Tails. Those memories can't be nice to be stuck with at all. But... Shadow couldn't hurt Tails, even when his life depends on it.

The ragged gouges on his face and stomach were reminders of what Shadow did for Tails. At least, that's the way Shadow saw it.

But most people _didn't _see it, not at all. Most people don't even want to look at Shadow anymore. Memories can be conjured as quickly as striking a match, or snapping fingers.

Shadow closed his eye, reminded of his dream. He didn't want to watch Maria die again. He didn't want to watch her sacrifice herself for Shadow and Shine's sakes, not again. He's seen it already, and once was enough for him.

He forced himself to think about something else, but all he could think about was the A.R.K.. Perhaps he should have taken Ella's offer, and read a book or something.

Mortuus suddenly came to Shadow's mind. He wondered where the creature had run off to. Not that he was in a state to stop it or anything. But Shadow still wanted to know what had become of it.

A thought suddenly came into Shadow's head. If this thing could go into minds and bodies, was it safe to trust _anyone_? Shadow blinked and sat up completely, stretching his legs out. He knew it wasn't in Tails. This creature obviously is too smart to try to same vessel twice. It couldn't be in Amy, for two reasons, probably. One: She's annoying as hell. Two: If she was taken over by a crazy monster that was set on killing Shadow, it'd have done that by now.

It wasn't in Knuckles, or Shadow would be dead already. It's not in Cheese, or Cream, Shadow was positive of it. So who was left? Shine, Kat, Chris, Chuck, Mr. Tanacka, and Ella.

Ella is way too nice to want to kill Shadow. Mr. Tanacka would've killed Shadow by now. Chris is too weak. Chuck is too old. Kat is already crazy, but not crazy enough to kill Shadow.

That leaves Shine as the odd-man out.

Shadow recoiled from himself, suddenly aware he was picking his friends off one-by-one on who could be planning to _kill_ him. He sighed. This room was starting to make him paranoid. If he didn't get out soon, he was afraid he would go stir crazy.

"Hey," Someone said from the hatch. Shadow hadn't realized that someone had opened it. He'd been too deep in thought.

Shadow turned his head to look at Rouge the Bat. "What are _you_ doing here?" Shadow snarled.

"It's nice to see you too." Rouge said sarcastically. "I heard you got hurt. What happened?"

Shadow straightened his back. "Where did you hear I got hurt from?"

Rouge shrugged. "Word gets 'round."

"Then you would know what happened."

"Surprisingly, no. Not when there's no background info. on the story."

Shadow narrowed his eyes and Rouge blinked her emerald green eyes. "What's up with you, Sunshine? I'm not here for war, although I couldn't say the same for you."

Shadow watched her. _She doesn't know Sonic is dead? Has everyone decided on not telling anyone he's dead yet?_ Then he realized that's why she was really here. The government must have sent her here to snoop around and figure out why Sonic hasn't been around lately.

"Wow, your face is really screwed up, isn't it..." Rouge let out a little whistle. "How disappointing. You were _so_ charming..."

"'_Were_'?" Shadow speculated.

Rouge winked and gave him a little sly smile. "Oops. Did I say that out loud?" She let out a dramatic sigh. "Me and my big mouth..."

Shadow rolled his eye.

"So, where's Sonic? Haven't been seeing much of him lately." Rouge asked casually, walking up to the bed. "Whole town's been getting worried."

Shadow blinked his eye. "Sonic is.. busy. He won't be back for a while." Even as he spoke, he knew that was a lame excuse. It even _tasted_ lame. But as he watched Rouge's expression, he started thinking...

"That's too bad," Rouge sighed. "The president wanted to speak with him about Eggman."

Shadow perked his ears. "_What_ about Eggman?"

Rouge's eyes flashed. "Ah, now that's for Sonic to hear. But I will tell you this: The president is really ticked at Eggman for something that may - or may not - have happened."

Shadow stared past Rouge, at the window again, thinking. Was Sonic's absence going to spread through gossip like a wild-fire? Surely Rouge would be smart enough to keep this information to herself?

"Well, would you look at the time," Rouge said silkily. "I have to go _already_." She leaned down and kissed the top of Shadow's head. "Feel better." She winked at him before opening the attic's hatch and walking back down the stairs.

Shadow frowned, unsure of what just happened.

Suddenly the hatched opened again and Shine burst into the room. "You didn't tell that crazy bat anything, did you?"

Shadow blinked. "No, of course not. I'm not an idiot."

Shine reflected his 'What the hell are you talking about?' face back at him. "Oh. OK." She walked up to the bed and frowned, looking at Shadow's head. "Is that lipstick?"

Shadow suddenly blushed. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Ah ha ha ha ha! You and that _bat_, eh? That's too good!" Shine burst into laughter. "It's almost as funny as your face!"

Shadow's shoulders sagged. "You have no idea how annoying you are." He growled, wiping the lipstick off the top of his head.

"No, but I have a pretty good estimate." She puffed in between laughter. Then she suddenly stopped. "That Chris kid is sticking his nose were it doesn't belong." She informed him, suddenly very serious.

"What do you mean?" Shadow asked, curious as to why Shine is telling him this.

"What else would I mean? He was asking me about Maria, and the A.R.K. and stuff like that. Although, credit where it's due, he's pretty frustrated you won't trust him." Shine shrugged.

"I trust him," Shadow stated, taken aback. "If I didn't trust him, I wouldn't be here."

Shine shrugged again. "Well, all I know is that you won't tell him anything at _all_ about yourself, and it's frustrating him."

Shadow stared at the wall. "Huh.." He grunted. He never thought that Chris would want to know more about Shadow's past. But then again, if Chris actually knew what happened in Shadow's past, Chris would be scarred. The kid wouldn't be able to look at Shadow and Shine the same ever again.

But it's not like it was going to be that big of a deal. Shadow had a feeling that everyone is going to _have_ to know his past, sooner or later.

Hopefully _later_, rather than sooner.


	14. Chapter 14

**'Forsaken' by Disturbed **

**Sometimes I think this should Mortuus'/ {Enter new name that you don't know yet here XD} theme song, just because of what it means and how it sounds :P**

** Chapter Fourteen**

Eggman watched the creature before him. It stood still, not even breathing. It had no heart, no brain, Eggman knew that, but it didn't act that way. It basically absorbed all it's information.

It looked like a certain fox named Tails. It had long, sharp claws, and forearms with spiky black fur up to it's elbows. It had wild, spiky white stomach and chest fur and spiked collars around it's ankles. The thing that was most frightening about this creature, Eggman sided, was it's eyes. They were completely black with no pupil or iris at all.

"When will we take action, Doctor?" It asked, it's cold voice echoing and scratching.

"Soon enough," Eggman growled. "It's still too soon. They will expect an attack."

It narrowed it's eyes. "It's been almost three weeks, Doctor. How long do you plan to stay in idleness?"

Decoe and Bocoe leaned back in their chairs and looked at the creature. "I wouldn't argue with Doctor Eggman, if I were you."

The creature threw at glare at them. "Luckily, you aren't me." It snarled.

The two robots recoiled.

Eggman looked at his henchmen through his circular glasses. "Mortuus is right to question our idleness. However," He looked back at his creation. "It's important to learn patience."

It blinked at him. "Forgive me, but I haven't done anything since I killed Sonic. I'm sure you of all people know how easy it is to get bored."

Eggman's brow furrowed. "Patience, Mortuus. Do you want an actual fight, or just an easy win?" He walked to his huge computer, and typed something up. "Shadow is still injured, but he's healing quickly."

Mortuus curled it's large, talon-like fingers into fists. "Why won't you just let me kill him?"

Eggman brought a page up on the screen and started typing something. "Because,"

Mortuus' eyes narrowed with anger. "'Because'? That's it? I don't know why I don't just leave and kill him, whether you like it or not."

"What's the point of killing him immediately? We need them to see that we're in charge, yet we're the better man - We give Shadow the chance to recover, then strike. Then they will see who is on top." Eggman glanced at Mortuus. "Don't worry, you will get your chance."

Mortuus glared at Eggman for a few moments, before stalking out of the room, his spiked tails twitching angrily.

Bocoe watched Mortuus leave nervously. "Doctor Eggman, sir, I don't think it's a good idea to anger Mortuus like that."

Decoe nodded. "There's no way for us to fight back if he gets _too_ angry. Especially if he can kill Sonic and Shadow in the blink of an eye." He agreed with his robotic companion.

"Relax," Eggman snapped. "I'm not only letting Shadow recover, but I'm also letting Mortuus' energy be stored. You see, I created him so that whenever he isn't fighting, he's restoring energy. There are somethings that will be new to him, next time he fights, though. When he has enough energy, a new power can be unlocked, whether he's knows it or not." He looked away from the two robots. "Besides... I have a feeling that I can use Shadow to my advantage, now."

"Clever!" The robots mooched. "They don't call you brilliant for nothing!"

"Oh, shut up." Eggman snarled. "You get on my nerves, you overgrown pieces of scap-metal!"

Behind him, a high pitched voice started to laugh. "You tell 'em, Docter!" Bokkun hovered into the room.

"Bokkun?" Eggman raised an eyebrow. "What are you doing here, Bokkun?"

"I have news for you!" Bokkun stated proudly. "And this time, it's not going to explode!"

"I'm waiting," Eggman drawled out, tapping his fingers on the computer desk.

"I was flying past Chris' house and I thought I saw Shadow, but it wasn't him!" Bokkun's eyes got big.

"And this is news worthy?" Eggman sighed.

"Yes! It was a _girl_ who looked like Shadow! She had the same quill style and everything, but she had white stripes, not red!" Bokkun exclaimed. "And she and Shadow were talking!"

Eggman perked his ears. "A girl?"

"Yeah!"

Eggman stared past Bokkun, at his computer screen. _Is it possible...?_

_ My grandfather... How many secrets could he possibly have?_

**It's short cause I hate being Eggman XD**


	15. Chapter 15

**Not really listening to anything, heh.**

**.3.**

** Chapter Fifteen**

"It could be anywhere, by now." Chuck exclaimed. He, Shadow, Knuckles, Shine, Chris, Amy, and Tails were in a heated discussion about Mortuus. They were in the attic, because Shadow was still condemned to stay in bed until he could get up without feeling dizzy

"And that's why we should be looking for it," Shadow growled, still in the bed. He had his arms crossed and his eye closed, so he didn't have to look at anyone in specific.

"I think we should destroy as soon as we get the chance." Knuckles put in.

"He's right. If we don't deal with it now, who knows what could happen." Shine agreed, her voice steady and sure, even though Shadow knew it reminded her of the A.R.K..

"_I_ think we should force _Eggman_ to destroy it. He made brought it into this world, he can bring it out." Amy's stubborn voice sounded from beside Chris.

"Knuckles and Shine are right, Amy. As soon as we get the chance, we should destroy Mortuus. We don't know when we'll have another chance, otherwise." Chris added, his voice quiet. Shadow cringed. This must be killing Chris on the inside. Sonic was Chris' first real friend, and now he's dead.

"What do you think, Tails?" Shadow asked, still with his eyes closed.

It was quiet in the room, like everyone was stunned that Shadow wanted Tails' opinion. It sickened Shadow. He opened his eye and looked at Tails, and only Tails, who was sitting in the far corner on a bean-bag chair. "Well?"

Tails hesitated, before saying "I think that Eggman will sic Mortuus on us when he thinks it's time. He's also probably going to wait until we least expect it."

Shadow looked away from Tails and closed his eye again. "That's what I figured. We'll have to stay alert and ready for anything. You never know if Eggman's going to decide to make a stupid move."

"Who put _you _in charge?" Amy snapped, her green eyes flashing angrily. _She's more annoying than ever..._ Shadow growled in his head.

Deciding to be blunt only to shut her up, Shadow snarled "No one, but Sonic is dead and nobody else seems to be taking a keen interest in surviving. Besides, this thing is after _me_, so it just seems fitting that _I'm_ in charge." Amy stared at him with horror, tears welling up in her eyes.

"That was just horrible, Shadow." Chuck said after a moment, his own eyes wide with surprise.

"Yeah, well I'm tired of you guys all acting like _you_ were the ones who were almost murdered, or that _you_ were the ones who watched you friends die while you could do nothing because you didn't want to kill your _other friends _to save yourself!" Shadow's hand whipped towards Amy. "And _you_ should be ashamed of how you're treating Tails! You all should be! Do you really think he would want to kill Sonic and me? Think about it, and you'll realize it's absurd! It just pisses me _off_ that you all can't blame anyone except for _Tails_! He's eight! What business does he have with mine and Sonic's death?"

Chris looked up from his hands. He gazed intently into Shadow's remaining eye, like he might be able to figure out something. "That's not fair, and you know it, Shadow. We've all lost someone dear in our lives, not just you. And even if we didn't witness Sonic's death, the impact is all the same."

Shadow remembered the last time Chris said something like that to the black and red hedgehog. They were on the Space Colony A.R.K. and Sonic needed help, so Chris was begging Shadow. He remembered what he said to Chris. _Don't talk to _ME _about fair! Not after what happened _HERE_!_

Shadow felt painful memories threaten to resurface. He closed his eye for a moment and took a deep breath - An attempt to calm down. When he opened his eye again, Chris was holding back tears - In fact everyone was. Even Knuckles, though he was looking down, so it was hard to tell.

"I know that, Chris." Shadow said after a moment. "But you didn't watch him die. It's different when you watch your friends die, rather than just getting the story." He looked down at his gloved hands, and felt tears collect in his eye. _I won't leave you behind, Maria. I promise._ Shadow's own words echoed in his head and he felt the first tear drop. _I'm sorry, Maria. I broke my promise, and there's no way for me to ever repay you... _

Amy was bawling. "You know what, Shadow? You're a self centered jerk who can only think about what happened to _you_! You don't seem to care about what's happening to the people around you at ALL!" Amy sobbed, getting to her feet and pointing at Shadow. "Right now, I could care _less_ if Mortuus kills you, you self absorbed _jerk!_" She ran to the hatch, ripped it open, and stomped down the stairs in anger.

"Now you've done it," Knuckles hissed and got to his feet too. "Amy, wait! He didn't mean it!" Knuckles ran down the stairs to catch up with Amy.

"I meant every word." Shadow muttered under his breath. Luckily, no one seemed to hear him.

"Shadow, what's gotten into you?" Chuck demanded. "You're acting like a loon!"

"I can't help it if Amy over-reacts. I'm just telling the plain truth, and I'm not going to sugar coat it." Shadow growled.

"You need to snap out of this little phase of yours, Shadow. It's weird and makes you unpleasant to be around." Shine growled in Shadow's tone.

"She's right, Shadow." Chuck agreed.

"Don't scold me like a child," Shadow snapped at them.

"We'll stop treating you like a child when you stop acting like a child." Shine snarled.

Shadow blinked. His latest fear had come true - He was stir crazy. His eye hardened and he ripped the sheet off him and swung his legs over the side of the bed.

"Where are you going, Shadow? You need rest, still!" Tails exclaimed. "You don't want to pass out again, do you?"

Shadow got to his feet. He was surprisingly steady. "I need to get out of the house, or it's not just my words that are going to hurt people." He growled.

Shine got to her feet too. "I'll come with you, and make sure you're OK."

"_No_." Shadow snarled, brushing past his sister. "I'm going alone."

"No, you're not," Chuck stated "Because I'm going with you, whether you like it or not. We need to have a little chat."

Shadow ignored him and walked down the stairs. He opened the door to the outside. It was good to have fresh air around him, not the attic's air.

Chuck walked up beside him and they started walking. After a moment Chuck asked "Why don't you have any sympathy for everyone else, except for Tails?"

"Because they all act as if they were actually there the moment he died." Shadow said plainly, not bothering to mention Sonic's name. He suddenly looked at Chuck, his good eye sparking. "Which reminds me. I have an idea, but you're going to have to do some research, first."

"An idea for...?" Chuck speculated, raising an eyebrow.

"An idea that could bring Sonic back." Shadow explained.

"What are you talking about, Shadow? He's been dead for almost a month now. If he wasn't in the preservation tube, he'd have rotted long ago." Chuck informed Shadow uneasily.

"You wouldn't have put him in the tube if you didn't think he could be saved, though, now would you, Chuck?" Shadow's eye sparked with deviance.

Chuck shuffled alongside Shadow uncomfortably. "I think you're crazy, Shadow. But if you have an idea, it doesn't hurt to hear it."

"Good, I was planning on telling you anyways." Shadow smirked as they walked into the garden area. "Revive him using the same technology that was used to make me and Shine."

Chuck stared at him. "What? Are you crazy, I don't have that kind of technology!"

"Then we should go to the A.R.K.."

"You really _are_ crazy, aren't you?"

"Stir crazy, actually." Shadow corrected him. "But it doesn't make my hypothesis invalid."

Chuck walked beside him, suddenly very silent. "If we fail to recreate Sonic, we'll end up with a grotesque monster that sounds and acts like Sonic with his memories."

"That's is a risk, yes. But I figured: You and Tails together could do this. All you need is a little research." Shadow could feel his head starting to clear. He'd been confined much longer than need be. "I can Chaos Control to the A.R.K. with Knuckles and bring as much machinery back here as you need."

They were quiet for a moment as Chuck contemplated this theory, before nodding. "You know, Shadow, this might actually work." He involuntarily grinned. "We might be able to bring Sonic back!"


	16. Chapter 16

**...**

**'A Shadow' Yuki Kajiura (How ironic ^_^) and after both the lines, 'Epitaph' by, Yuki Kajiura**

**An yes, Vita-Chamber is from a game totally unrelated to Sega lol It means "Life-Chamber" in Latin**

**#t(o_ot) TAKE DA WAFFLE!**

**And enjoy da chapter : J**

**Chapter Sixteen**

"Here you go, Mr. Shadow. Cheese and I made a cup of hot cocoa for you."

Cream handed Shadow a mug of hot chocolate that had a gigantic marshmallow bobbing around inside it. "Er, thanks, Cream." Shadow took the the mug from Cream's hands and sipped. It was odd. Something as simple as hot cocoa could make you feel completely calm.

Knuckles sat on the couch beside Shadow, his arms crossed stubbornly- At least until Cream aproached him with another mug of cocoa. "Here you go, Knuckles, we didn't forget about you." Cream beamed proudly before skipping away.

Shine sat beside Knuckles, a tiny, little smile on her face. "That's adorable," She chided "She thinks you need hot cocoa because you're going up to space." She poked the marshmallow that was in Knuckles' hot cocoa. Knuckles picked it out and whipped it at her.

"Hey, watch it!" Shine yelped. The marshmallow bounced off her forehead and landed of her lap. She popped the sugary treat in her mouth and chewed it before wiping the cocoa off her forehead.

Shadow rolled his eye. "Please, you guys, this isn't the time to play around. We have to get a game plan for when we get to the A.R.K. so that we're not wasting valuable energy."

Shine rolled her eyes. "Come on, Shadow, can't you have a little fun?"

Shadow snorted. "You two love-birds seem to be having enough fun for the three of us."

Knuckles grunted, and blushed. "What are you talking about, 'love-birds'? We not-"

"What ever, Knuckles." Shadow interrupted. "We don't have the time for this."

Chuck cleared his throat and starting listing off stuff they would need to get. Shine and Knuckles quieted down to listen to Chuck. "...And, lastly, I will need a Vita-Chamber."

Knuckles blinked. "What's a Vita-Chamber?"

"It's a large tube that is used to create life such as Shine or myself." Shadow muttered. "It's how Gerald created us."

Knuckles gave a slight nod, suddenly acting very awkward.

"I think we're good to go, guys." Shine said, getting up. She looked at Shadow. "Can I have my gun back, now?"

Shadow realized he must have kept her gun. He was about to give it back, but something about her made her untrustworthy, and if they were going onto the A.R.K., Shadow didn't want to have her pull a gun on him or Knuckles. Shine'll have to wait a while to get the gun back.

"Sorry, but I think I'll hang onto it for a while." He growled.

Shine narrowed her eyes. She suddenly linked arms with Knuckles. "Let's go, already." She complained. "I'll get Knuckles there, you just worry about yourself, Shadow." She glared at Shadow. "Chaos Control!" She commanded before Knuckles could protest. She and the echidna disappeared.

Shadow hissed in anger. "Good luck, Shadow." Chuck smiled at the black and red hedgehog, who nodded.

"Chaos," Shadow threw his hand in the air "Control!"

* * *

><p>"It's been a while..." Knuckles whispered.<p>

The thief trio stood in a room filled with gadgets. It was a farely bright room, the colors vibrant. Shadow remembered it from a long time ago. He nodded in agreement with Knuckle.

Shadows hands were in fists at his sides, while Shine's hands were dangling freely at _her_ sides. "No point in standing here, wasting time away."

"I have to do something..." Shadow murmured softly, and started to speed away.

"Shadow, wait! We don't have time for that!" Shine called after him, obviously knowing what he wanted to do.

Shadow ignored her. Last time he was here, he'd been to occupied to check it out, but now he had a lot more time.

He heard Shine call him again, then the sound of her shoes echoed before disappearing. Shadow wondered what she was up to.

Meanwhile, he was speeding away to Sector Five, Corridor two.

* * *

><p>Shine watched as Shadow took off.<p>

"Shadow, wait! We don't have time for that!" Shine called after her brother. "Shadow! Come back!"

Knuckles looked at her, puzzled. "What's going on? Where's he off to now?"

"I'm positive he's going to a certain Sector." She grabbed onto Knuckles hand and started running, taking the opposite route Shadow took. "Come on, we're going to meet him there."

They ran for about five minutes, at full speed. Shine suddenly stopped, Knuckles bumping into her.

"Sector Five?" Knuckles asked, reading off a sign that was covered in dust. "What's so important in Sector Five?"

"You'll see..." Shine hedged, hesitant to tell him. She grabbed his hand again and ran down the hallways, towards the long, glass corridor at the end of it. The entrance was completely smashed through, but a sign above the destroyed entrance read 'Corridor Two'.

They ran into the corridor, and as they sped past each pane, Shine looked around. The ground below her was coated with dry, dusty blood. Lights were blown. And as they reached the end of the corridor, Shine stopped.

Shadow stood at a smashed entrance way, staring down the corridor. Beside him, a destroyed G.U.N. robot lay in many, many pieces. As Shine and Knuckles walked into view, Shadow didn't look away.

* * *

><p>Shadow could almost imagine the corridors filled with that awful red light, he could almost hear the deafening siren.<p>

The ground around his was coated in blood. Maria's blood. It was dry and black, though, with a thick layer of dust that accumulated of the fifty plus years. Shadow didn't know what he expected to find. Maybe that the Corridor would've been fixed, or that G.U.N. 'bots were still crawling about in the colony.

"Shadow?" Knuckles asked warily, walking up to him with Shine. "Are you OK?"

Shadow blinked his eye, and the image of the red lights disappeared. He sighed. "I'm alright. I just wanted to see this place again. Last time we were here, I was a bit too occupied to actually come back."

Shine walked up to Shadow. "We should get started." Shadow nodded.

They started with a few simple things, such as some chemicals they'll need. After they got those things, Shadow led the way to Professor Gerald Robotnik's secret lab, the one he and Shine were made in. Chuck thought there could be some left-over biomolecular genes from Shadow or Shine that Gerald didn't use.

"I'll check in this ajoining room." Knuckles announced, walking into a room that was dimly lit with bulbs that had slowly turned green.

Shine and Shadow watched him until he disappeared, then Shine stalked up to Shadow. "What's with you, don't you trust your own sister?" She hissed.

Shadow blinked at her. "What are you talking about? I trust you." He wasn't _really_ lying, he trusted her - To a point, that is.

"Oh, cut the crap!" Shine spat, her white eyes flaring with anger. "I've done nothing but help you and your friends and you _still_ act like I'm the enemy!"

"I've been double crossed before," Shadow growled. "I don't plan on letting it happen again."

"For god's sake, Shadow, you can trust me!" Shine stated, exhasperated. "I honestly don't plan on killing you!"

This reminded Shadow of something that Shine had said before Shadow passed out the other night. "You said something about Gerald lying to Maria about why you were created. What were you talking about?"

Shine's eyes glinted. "Gerald created me for a totally different reason. Almost the exact opposite of what he told Mar-" She was suddenly cut off by Knuckles walking in, holding something in his gloved hands.

"This says 'Life-form No. 1'. Which one of you is that?" He asked, looking up from a vial full of clear liquid.

"Me." Shine said as she walked towards him and gently took the bottle from his hands. Shadow took a look at the bottle too, and saw that it wasn't truly clear - It was translucent, but it reflected everything, making it look almost silver up close.

Shadow abandoned the bottle with Shine and Knuckles and walked into the other room with the dim green lights. All across the shelves, there were bottles. Every one of them had a tag and a big 'X' on it, as in 'Failed'. Shadow picked up one of the bottles labeled 'Ultimate Test No. 13'. He looked at the tag, and realized it was a description of how the test failed.

'_Too grotesque. Not strong enough. Too slow._'

Shadow grunted, and put the vial back, wondering how many times it took to make _him_.

He reached the far side of the room and saw a tiny glass cabinet. It's doors were dusty, short of the hand prints Knuckles made while opening it. Shadow creaked on of the doors open and peered inside - A vial filled with black liquid rested on the shelf inside.

Shadow grabbed the vial and walked back out to where Knuckles and Shine were. "I found mine. Should we bring both back?"

"Yeah," Shine answered thoughtfully, gazing into her vial.

Shadow looked back down at his vial. A label read 'Life-form No.2'. The liquid was black, but when it hit the light, it turned almost crimson. Shadow wondered why Gerald kept the genes.

"We ready to go, you guys?" Knuckles asked after peering around.

"We just need the Vita-Chamber." Shine muttered, looking around. "Shadow, go look for it, while me and Knuckles bring the rest of this stuff back." Her eyes flashed as Shadow stalked angrily out of the room, grinding his teeth.

**Sorry for spelling or grammar mistakes, the comp I wrote this on was at school and very... very... VERY.. slow.**

**Pissed me off, I almost threw it at a wall XD**

**Also, it ended abruptly because it's on the verge of 2000 words soooo... Yeah... lol  
><strong>


	17. Chapter 17

** 'Mastermind' by MSI : J More so closer to the end... You'll see why... lol  
><strong>

**Don't be a hater .-. :3**

**Alrighteh! Sorry I haven't updated sooner, I was ... unable to get internet access... Yush, we shall go with that...**

**~Was grounded~**

** Chapter Seventeen**

Shadow grumbled angrily as he left Gerald Robotnik's Secret Laboratory, _per Shine's orders_. He didn't need _her_ telling him what to do.

He stalked out into the hallway, wondering why Shine made him do this, when she could have gone on her own.

Shadow reached and Main Laboratory, stopping in the open doorway. The lab even _smelled_ the way it used to - Sterile and germ-free, almost like a hospital. All of the lights were off, short of the blinking green, yellow and red lights at the other side of the large room.

Shadow sighed and started into the room. About one-third of the way to the other side of the lab, he got an unshakable feeling he was being watched. He attempted to shrug it off and kept walking, but his mind wouldn't get off the topic.

The lab was certainly big enough for someone to lay in wait for someone to walk by.

He heard what sounded like fabric brushing against the black tiles beneath his feet. Shadow stopped and turned around. "Who's there?" He barked into the silent darkness. When he got no answer except the echo of his own words, he turned and continued onwards, muttering uneasily "I don't have time for these games..."

He thought he imagined a chuckle, and his skin crawled.

Reaching the panel with the dusty, blinking lights, Shadow flipped the switches under each color, turning the lights above him on, row by row.

His back tingled and he whipped around, positive he wasn't alone.

The isle of computers directly in front of him was empty. The isle to his far right that was made up of Chemical labs looked to be empty as well. To his left -and all the way to the far wall- were Vita-Chambers, although they didn't look to be in the best of shapes. Behind him were the much larger screens and computers, were projects were monitored, taken care of, and worked on.

Shadow still felt eyes on him. "Who else is in here?" He demanded. No answer.

He suspiciously glanced around before walking into the isle that on the other side of the first row of ruined Vita-Chambers.

Most of the Vita-Chambers were filled halfway with a chemical laced water that had slowly turned a green-ish brown over the last 50 or so years. Beside that chamber was another with almost all of it's glass knocked out. Only a couple of points of glass hung from the top of the chamber. Shadow could only guess how it had been broken.

This went on and on - All of the Vita-Chambers were ruined. Shadow was beginning to feel slightly hopeless. There were no perfect Vita-Chambers that he could find.

Glass crunched underfoot as Shadow inspected each row of chambers, looking for one that wasn't cracked or filled with disgusting water.

About three rows away from the end of the chambers, Shadow stopped. An unused chamber sat on the black tiles in front of him, completely intact.

He let out a sigh of relief.

Shadow was beginning to think he wasn't going to be able to bring a Vita-Chamber back.

The perfect Vita-Chamber looked like a giant tube that was as tall as the length from the floor to the ceiling. Tubes connected from the top and bottom of the tube to bring nutrients, chemicals and oxygen to the projects inside the tubes when they're used. A ring of light goes around the base and top of the tube which, when turned on, is an incredibly light green, almost white.

He started towards the chamber, but stopped when he heard something brush against the tiles again.

He was positive he _didn't_ imagine that. He definitely wasn't alone.

"I hope you're not planning on _stealing_ that, are you?" A blood-chilling voice growled from behind Shadow. "Should I remind you it's illegal to steal?"

Shadow slowly turned to face the speaker.

It was a fox that, for a moment, made Shadow think it was Tails. It had outrageously sharp looking black claws. Jet black-black fur spiked up to it's elbows, then smoothed out into yellow fur, much like Tails'. It's chest fur was wild and spiky, and pure white. It had black collars around it's ankles that were pointed with lethal metal spikes. It's shoes, much like Tails' in shape, were black and gray.

"Well, Shadow?" It smirked, blinking pure black eyes. "I don't think you'd want to appear as the bad guy, now do you?"

"Mortuus..." Shadow breathed. It _had_ to be Mortuus. That damn voice gave it away. Shadow returned the smirk, feeling anger boil inside of him as he remembered what Mortuus had done to him and his friends. "And you think people are going to believe _I'm_ the bad guy?" He snorted. "Yeah, right."

"With your past, it won't be hard to convince people. Besides," Mortuus' voice was what most people would describe death as. "When you have a power like _mine_, it's easy to get at the people who trust you and turn them against you."

"Like the way you did with Tails?" Shadow snarled. A twitch of Mortuus' right ear was the only sign that Shadow was acknowledged.

"So have you come to kill me too?" Shadow growled, barely keeping his anger in check. "Or are you too busy ruining _other_ lives?" He couldn't afford to get in a fight right now, not while he was still weak. Mortuus would have the biggest advantage, and probably would kill Shadow.

Much to Shadow's surprise, Mortuus shook his head and grinned. "As a matter of fact, keeping you alive will prove _far_ more interesting. I'm glad you survived our little scuffle." It chuckled.

"What, exactly, is_ that_ supposed to mean?" Shadow snarled skeptically.

Mortuus' eyes sparked with intelligence. "Time will tell, hedgehog." He narrowed his jet-black eyes. "But in the meanwhile, I'm actually here for a reason."

Without warning, a mass of black shadows erupted from Mortuus. Like a wave, they shot through all the Vita-Chambers, shattering them instantly.

Water splashed onto the floor and glass shot into the air, biting deeply into Shadow with tiny teeth. He whipped back to look at the Vita-Chamber, that had exploded as well. As glass continued to shoot into the air, Shadow raised his arm to his eye, protecting it from glass that shot towards him.

After a moment, the glass settled, the odd piece dropping to the floor and shattering. Shadow looked back up at the Vita-Chamber, and his anger boiling up inside him.

"_No_!" Shadow screamed in his almost mono-tone voice. "Damnit!" He kicked the destroyed machinery. "Damnit, damnit, _damnit_!"

"I apologize if I'm ruining any plans," Mortuus said coolly as it gave Shadow a sharp toothed grin, "But it had to be done."

Shadow clenched his fists, shaking slightly with anger. He turned the good side of his face towards Mortuus, his lips drawn into a snarl, revealing slightly pointed teeth. "No. It didn't." He spat darkly. "Now we can't bring Sonic back, you rat _bastard_!" Shadow screamed, throwing a painful punch at Mortuus' chest, which sent the fake fox soaring off it's feet.

Mortuus twisted in the air, landing delicately on it's feet - Right beside the main computer panels. "Let's make this interesting," It smirked. "I hope you have good eyes!" It called out, scoring deep gouges in the panel, completely undeterred by the electricity that bounced off it's claws.

The lights flickered and went out, plunging Shadow and Mortuus into darkness.

Shadow blinked his eye, trying to get it to adjust quickly to the change of light.

"The Doctor said he wants you alive, but he said nothing against _beating _you to a bloody pulp!" Mortuus' voice bounced off the walls of the lab, making it impossible for Shadow to tell where it was.

"Don't play these damn games with me!" Shadow hollered into the darkness. He heard the faintest sound of shoes running on the tiles, and Shadow whipped around. Just in time, he caught a fist of sharp claws that was aimed right for his good eye. He twisted Mortuus' wrist violently, flipping it, and threw the creature to the ground. Tiles broke and flew into the air, one piece narrowly missing Shadow's head. He could hear the whistling noise it made as it flew past his ear.

As tiles clattered to the ground, some shattering, Shadow heard the shuffling noise of Mortuus getting to it's feet. Shadow was suddenly taken off his feet. He crashed into one of the metal walls, feeling the metal dent beneath him. He grunted, but managed to get a grip and rebounded off the wall, hooking Mortuus with a strong punch.

Mortuus dodged and tried to catch Shadow with it's own right hook. Shadow grabbed it's wrist again, spun, then released, sending Mortuus soaring.

Mortuus crashed into the computer desks, papers flying violently from the desk drawers, one landing at Shadow's feet. The bold letters at the top of the page made it easy for Shadow to spot them, they were so bright. The top of the page read 'VITA-CHAMBER: PAGE 1 OF 2'.

Shadow quickly grabbed it and tried to find more Vita-Chamber plans before Mortuus recovered.

_Over there! There may be a chance for Sonic after all.._ Shadow saw it's bold lettering near where Mortuus was. He ran at Mortuus, grabbed it's throat, and smashed it into the wall, before swiping the second page up from off the tiles.

Shadow dodged a driving punch from Mortuus, striking back with a strong wheel barrel kick to the head, forcing Mortuus' face into the tiles again.

Shadow started towards the door, ignoring the other papers. He could only see the bold lettering of each page, anyways.

He reached the door, it slid open as if an invitation, and Shadow stopped. The light from the hallway illuminated his shape.

"I'd like to stay and play, but I've got a friend to bring back." Shadow snarled triumphantly into the darkness. He threw his hands in the air, still gripping the papers tightly. "Chaos control, _now_!" He hollered before disappearing from the A.R.K., leaving the creature called Mortuus standing in the darkness of the laboratory.

**Again... On the verge of 2000 words... lol**


	18. Chapter 18

**'What I've done' by Linkin Park :P**

**... This chapter and the next really tore at my heart... I didn't want to write it at all, but I have to...**

**~Sobs quietly in a corner~ Don't mind me... ~Sob~ ... Just read, I'll run out of tears soon... ~Sob~**

**~Never actually cried... Just makin' that clear... lol~**

** Chapter Eighteen**

Shadow arrived back at the Thorndyke residence, in the main entrance way. Everyone was in the Living Room, inspecting the new items Shine and Knuckles brought back from the A.R.K..

The black and red hedgehog gripped the Vita-Chamber plans tightly as Chuck spotted him and got up.

"You're back!... Where's the Vita-Chamber?" Chuck peered behind Shadow, looking for the chamber, as Shine and Knuckles came to stand beside Chuck.

Shadow tossed the plans to Chuck, who fumbled before catching them properly.

"What happened? Why did you take so long?" Shine walked towards Shadow with Knuckles.

When Shadow didn't answer, Knuckles asked "Were there no Vita-Chambers?"

Shadow glared at Shine.

"What?" She blinked.

"Mortuus was there. I don't know how, but it was." Shadow growled, still glaring at Shine. "It destroyed all the chambers."

"But you got Vita-Chamber plans, so it's OK, right?" Chris asked quietly. He had just walked in and looked over his grandfather's shoulder.

Shadow ignored Chris' question and took a step towards his sister. "My question is: How did Eggman know we were going to be at the A.R.K.?" He snarled, his eyes flashing.

"Don't look at me. I've never met Eggman before." Shine growled back.

"It's funny how I don't believe you." Shadow took another step towards Shine, clenching his fists.

Shine narrowed her eyes, tensing. "I've never met Eggman or Mortuus before. Why don't you believe me?"

Mr. Tanacka walked in with Ella, Cream and Cheese, Amy, Tails, and Katherine.

"Welcome back, Mister Shadow." Mr. Tanacka greeted with a little bow. "Do you- Ah, Mister Knuckles! Mister Shadow!"

Mr. Tanacka shielded his followers and took a step back, as Knuckles caught a tremendous punch from Shadow. Knuckles stood in front of Shine, gripping Shadow's fist as they pushed at each other with inhuman force.

A bead of sweat rolled down Knuckles forehead, while Shadow hardly _broke_ a sweat.

"Are you crazy? What the hell are you trying to do?" Knuckles hissed through clenched teeth as he blocked another punch aimed at Shine, who's eyes were wide with surprise.

Shine took a step back as Knuckles and Shadow pushed away from each other.

"Stay out of this, Knuckles." Shadow growled. "She knew Mortuus was in the A.R.K., so she sent me to get the Vita-Chamber while she made a quick escape, because she knows Mortuus and Eggman want me dead." He looked back at Shine with smoldering eyes. "You set the whole thing up, didn't you?"

"No, Mortuus and Eggman don't even know me! They don't know I even exist, as far as I know! You guys are the only people who know me." She clenched her fists. "So leave Knuckles alone, and fight someone at your own level!"

"What is that supposed to mean?" Knuckles grumbled under his breath.

Shadow stared at his sister for a moment, before pushing past Knuckles. "Fine," He snarled, bringing his fists up as he neared Shine.

"_You're_ not fighting _anyone_!" Knuckles barked, tackling Shadow and pinning him to the floor.

Before Shadow could throw Knuckles off, everyone who was watching pounced and helped pin Shadow to the cold linoleum floor.

Shadow struggled, but he was tired from fighting Mortuus, tired from his still-healing injuries, and tired from his trip to and from the A.R.K.. He was mentally and physically exhausted.

"I say we put him out of his misery," Amy volunteered, raising her hammer and getting ready to bring it down on Shadow's head.

"Amy, no." Shine grabbed the hammer from Amy's grip. "We aren't going to." She tossed the hammer to the floor.

Tails looked up at Shadow from pinning the hedgehog's arm down with Cream and Cheese. "I'm sorry, Shadow. This is all my fault..."

"It's not your fault Eggman wants to kill Shadow, and it's not your fault Shadow's gone bat-crap crazy." Shine walked over to Shadow and stooped down beside his head. "Something in here made him snap." She tapped his head.

"Shocking." Shadow commented dryly, still struggling beneath Mr. Tanacka, Cream and Cheese, Amy, Chris, Ella, Kat, Knuckles, and Chuck.

Shine ignored his sarcasm and continued. "It is said that time heals all wounds." She looked down at Shadow, her eyes softening. "I don't agree with that statement. I believe it lessens, fades, then returns in a wave of pain."

Katherine looked up at Shine. "What do you mean by that?"

Shine stood. "I mean Shadow hasn't given himself time to recover. His flesh and tissues are recovering, but not his emotions and mind."

Shadow blinked up at her, realizing she was right. He still wanted to strangle her though.

* * *

><p>Tails wondered what was going through Shadow's mind as the hedgehog stared up at Shine.<p>

It was bad enough that Shine was right about Shadow, but she was also right about Tails too.

Suddenly, Shadow disappeared from underneath everyone, reappearing on the stairs. He had a thoughtful look on his face, his eye closed, his arms crossed over his scarred chest.

"Hey, where do you think you're going?" Knuckles called after him.

Shadow opened his eye. "I'm going to the attic." He said simply, like none of this ever happened.

Then he disappeared.

* * *

><p>Everyone was quiet for a moment, stunned. Knuckles started towards the door that led to the path for the garage, but stopped when Chris started talking.<p>

"I think he just wants to be alone, Knuckles. We should at least give him that." Chris said quietly, getting up and dusting his clothes off.

The room remained quiet for a couple of moments more until Ella broke the silence. "I'll go make dinner, hm? It's late and no one has food in their belly." She waddled off towards the kitchen, followed by Mr. Tanacka, Cream, Cheese, Amy, and Kat.

Tails walked out the garage door, calling over his shoulder "I'm going to go work on the X Tornado."

Chuck, Knuckles, Chris and Shine silently walked into the Living Room and sat down. Chuck spread the Vita-Chambers out on the table. "It's a shame Mortuus had to ruin all the Vita-Chambers that were already built, but this is better than nothing." Chuck murmured, studying the papers.

After about an hour of studying the pages, Chuck leaned back. He gave a big stretch and yawned.

"We're going to need to make it so that-" Chuck almost fell out of the chair he was sitting in, surprised by Tails randomly running into the Living Room, panting.

"What's wrong, Tails?" Knuckles growled, getting to his feet, ready for danger. Shine got up too, clenching her fists.

"Are you OK, Tails?" Chris asked, startled.

Tails nodded, still out of breath, before taking in a deep breath. When he finally caught his breath, he stood up straight, his eyes looking alarmed.  
>"Shadow's gone!"<p>

**LA LA LA I CAN'T HEAR YOU, TAILS!**

**~Plugs ears~ I can't hear it, so it can't be true! La la la la la la la la!**


	19. Chapter 19

**Still listening to 'What I've Done' by Linkin Park**

**And this chapter makes me feel dead on the inside .-. lol**

** Chapter Nineteen**

_Dear Tails,_

_ I'm not going to hedge around the truth. I know I will probably die. That's why I've left, though. As long as I'm near you and everyone else, danger is lurking. I want to keep you safe, and the only way to do that is to leave. Eggman wants me dead, not you._

_ I won't lie to you. Your safety isn't the only reason I've left. Remember what Shine had said about not giving my mind time to recover? She was right. I need time to clear my head. But, again, those aren't the only reasons._

_ I'm going to hunt Mortuus down. As soon as I regain my strength, I'm going to kill it. That's why I need you and Chuck to revive Sonic as soon as you can. You need someone to help you, in case Mortuus happens to slip my grasp._

_ You're not happy with me, I know, but this is something I have to do. Shine will help you, I'm sure. Tell her that her gun is under the bed, in a box filled with papers. The bullets are there, too._

_ I'm not sure exactly where I plan on going. I'm just following my feet, I suppose, until I find Mortuus. If I'm not dead, and I've destroyed it, I promise I'll come back. _

_ Remember, Tails; This is for the safety of you and everyone else. Not only am I protecting you from Eggman, but also from myself. I'm afraid if I'm around you any longer, I'll end up really hurting someone I care about. I almost attacked Shine, and that was enough warning for me._

_ Tails, you have to bring Sonic back. He is the only way to ensure your complete safety, so work with Chuck to help bring him back. I know you can do it._

_ I know you can forgive me for leaving, Tails, because you have a heart as big as Maria's. She sacrificed herself for me, and I don't want you doing that too. So I'm going to beat you to it. I'm going to sacrifice myself for _you_._

_ Shadow_

Everyone stood in the attic, completely stunned, as Knuckles read the note that was left by Shadow. Tails was quietly sobbing, while everyone was staring at him and Shine.

When Knuckles finished reading the note, he set it down and looked back at everyone. "He makes it sound like he's positive he'll die." He said softly, still stunned as well.

"He really has faith that we can bring Sonic back..." Chuck commented quietly, chewing his lip thoughtfully.

Amy blinked. "Well, I'm_ glad_ he's gone. All he did was act all tough and quiet." She crossed her arms stubbornly, but no one could miss the tears that were welling up in her eyes.

"He left because of me!" Tails finally wailed.

Shine rested her hand on Tails' shoulder to comfort him. "No, he left to protect all of us. This is something he feels he has to do, so we have to let him do it." She kneeled down beside the bed, reaching underneath and pulling out a box. She opened it and sighed. "It's good to have you back, Celeste." She reached in and grabbed her gun and bullets.

Cream and Cheese started to cry with Tails. "He can't be gone! It's impossible! It's unfair! It's-"

"It's what he wants to do, Cream. We can't do anything about it." Chuck said quietly, his arms crossed and his eyes closed.

"But Mortuus will kill him!" Tails protested.

"You think we don't know that? Besides, even if he told us in person he was leaving, it's not like we could stop him." Amy said quietly, her voice harsh, but you could tell she was feeling bad.

"She's right. Shadow couldn't be contained. He's too strong for us to stop, anyways." Knuckles agreed with Amy - For once.

Shine put her gun in it's holster. "The only thing we can do is wait for him. And maybe, if we happen to cross paths with Mortuus, we can destroy that damned thing." She looked around at the room full of people, Tails, Cream and Cheese still wailing.

"I just can't believe he didn't say good-bye..." Chris whispered after a moment, tears running down his cheeks.

"I can. He's never been the most passionate person." Knuckles grumbled. But despite his grumpiness, he looked back down at the letter and his eyes softened ever-so-slightly.

Everyone was silent, except for Tails and Cream and Cheese, who were still bawling. Finally, Chuck got up. "Let's go start on the Vita-Chamber, Tails."

Tails looked at Chuck, his eyes wide. "You're over this just like that?"

"No, I'm deeply troubled by this, but there's no point in crying over spilled milk." Chuck retorted, rather sharply. "I don't know about the rest of you, but I have faith he _will _come back. That obviously isn't going to be anytime soon, so in the meanwhile, we need to start working on bringing Sonic back, before it really _is _too late."

Everyone filed out of the room, but Tails stayed behind for a couple of minutes, simply kneeling on the floor. He slowly looked up at the bed that Shadow had stayed on to rest, and noticed something out of place.

There was a piece of paper sticking out from underneath the pillow. Tails got to his feet and walked over to the bed, keeping his eyes on the paper the whole time.

The paper was folded in half, and it had 'Tails' written neatly on one side. Tails picked it up and stared at it for a moment, before opening it. It was another note from Shadow.

_Tails,_

_ I know you're probably wondering why I didn't just put this in the first letter. It's because it has something I want only you to see on it._

_ Leaving for your safety, the safety of others, and to destroy Mortuus aren't the only reasons I left. I'm scarred, Tails, and not just on my eye and stomach. When I was on the A.R.K., Mortuus attacked me. At first I thought it was you. You must have left an imprint on it, so it looks like a fox now. It made me feel like it was just another version of you, except malevolent. The moment I realized it was Mortuus, I thought 'It's an Evil Tails..'._

_ This got me thinking._

_ If this creature can go into anybody, then no one is safe to trust. This is why I made a separate letter, because if anyone in the Thorndyke residence is infected by Mortuus, they won't see this._

_ The only person that is safe to trust, Tails, is Shine. She can't be possessed by Mortuus because they both have the same power. If Mortuus _was_ stupid enough to go into Shine, it would destroy them both. The power would ricochet off itself and be almost like an implosion, except they would both disappear forever._

_ That being said, I need you to keep any important information to yourself. It ensures that Eggman won't find out about it - Not easily, anyways._

_ There's something else. We both know from first hand experience that Mortuus isn't stupid. That's why you can't trust the people closest to you - That includes Sonic. _

_ Yes, even Sonic will be in danger of being possessed by Mortuus. When you bring him back, though, you need to catch him up on everything that happened. I mean _everything_, Tails. Even if you think it's too painful for him, he needs to know. He needs to realize the dangers everyone is in._

_ I know you will never fully forgive me for leaving at a time like this, but you have to know that I had to do this. It's our last chance. Mortuus is growing stronger everyday, and the only way to stop it is for someone to go out, hunt it down, and destroy it._

_ Just remember, Tails. Don't. Trust. Anyone._

Tails gripped the paper tightly in front of him, tears welling up in his eyes again. He knew Shadow wasn't telling the whole truth in the first letter.

The letter was OK - Tails could handle that much.

It was the tear drop that smudged '_Don't. Trust. Anyone.'_ that made Tails want to wail in depression.


	20. Chapter 20

**'Rain Reverb' by Kenmochi Hidefumi**

**Sorry about the delayed chapter... Been busy...**

**Chapter Twenty**

It's been about three and a half weeks since Shadow left.

Shine remembered the first time she ever met her brother. It was the first moment she woke up from her very own Vita-Chamber. She thought about that for a moment, as she sat on the bed in the attic that Shadow had left neatly made, and realized how ironic it is that Shadow left. He left because the Vita-Chamber he tried to steal for his friend, was the very thing that drove him away from his friends and sister. It reminded him of all he'd been through.

Looking outside the window of the attic into the darkness, Shine wondered if her brother was even still alive.

Thinking back to the first time she met Shadow, she sighed. It was something she could grasp onto whenever she felt depressed, a map of life she could read whenever she was lost in herself.

Sometimes it was all she ever had.

* * *

><p><em>"Greetings, Shine." An elderly man, Professor Gerald Robotnik, said brightly as steam hissed around Shine the Hedgehog's ears and almost drowned his voice out. "This is your brother, Shadow the Hedgehog."<em>

_Shine opened her eyes and stepped out of the tube, her eyes immediately drawn to the black-and-red hedgehog standing next to a child in a blue dress._

_Wondering what her voice sounded like, she greeted Shadow. "Hello." Her voice was dark, and silky, something that would make your spine crawl, yet melt your insides at the same time._

_Gerald walked over to her and gave her a slight frown. "Turn around for a moment." Shine turned, not sure what was wrong. "Oh dear.." The Professor muttered. "We'll have to make sure those heal, won't we?"_

_Her brother nodded, not taking his eyes off her, as if he already didn't trust Shine. The girl beside him gave Shine a little wave and said "I'm Maria, your creators niece. It's nice to finally be able to meet you."_

_Shine watched as Maria rested her hand on Shadow's shoulder and tightened her grip. She said something quietly to him. Before Shine could ask what Maria had said, Gerald announced proudly from his desk "She's your twin, Shadow. Short of those weird scars on her back, I mean."_

_Shine's _twin_ brother stared at her, who tested out her smiles. Obviously, they weren't heart-warming enough because Shadow just narrowed his eyes at her._

* * *

><p><em>Gerald had given Shine a long, black overcoat that was specially tailored just to fit her. He said that it was to hide the scars until he could manage to find a way to make them disappear.<em>

_"But that's why they're called 'scars', Professor. Because they will never fade away." Shine had said, tilting her head curiously as she checked out the many pockets in her new coat._

_Gerald was silent for a moment. Then he said "There's always a way to get rid of these type of things." He leaned back in his computer chair and glanced at Shine. "And most things_ do_ fade away. It just takes time. _

* * *

><p><em>Shine watched as a <em>G.U.N._ Officer shouted at Shadow, Maria, and herself._

_"Stay where you are, or I'll shoot!" He shouted at them over the crying sirens. His visor had glare from the red lights that tinted the room._

_Suddenly, Shine was being pushed into one of the many escape pods that filled the room. She realized Maria had pushed Shadow in one, too, and now she was locking them._

_"Maria, don't! Let me out!" Shine screamed desperately. Before she knew it, three gunshots cut the the whining siren and dug into Maria's chest._

_But not before the girl could pull the lever for the two locked escape pods, sending Shine and Shadow drifting towards the Earth._

_That was the last time she saw Shadow the Hedgehog._

* * *

><p>Knuckles the Echidna knocked twice on the attic's hatch before opening it and coming in. "Hey," He greeted quietly. "I know this is, like, a 'Nostalgia Moment' for you, or something, but I wanted to know if you needed some company.."<p>

Shine looked up at him and smiled weakly. "Sure."

Knuckles got up and closed the hatch quietly, before walking over to the bed and sitting beside Shine. "I know I could never really understand how much this hurts for you," He said after a moment "But I want you to know that if you need someone to talk to about this, or-" He stopped as Shine clasped his hand and looked at him.

"Thank you." She said solemnly. She leaned over and pecked a kiss on his lips.

Knuckles' eyes softened and he smiled.

It wasn't until the next day, Shine realized, that she was actually able to push Shadow out of her mind and think about the less depressing things in her life, which is a change from her everyday schedule.


	21. Chapter 21

**'Twisted Dragonfly' by Kenmochi Hidefumi**

**I got bored whilst looking through my MP3 Players, so I was stuck with that song lol**

**Btw, I edited chapter 20 because I accidentally put something in that I wasn't supposed to put in yet, so I highly suggest you quickly reread it and see what I changed lol**

**Chapter Twenty-One**

At about Ten o'clock at night, Miles 'Tails' Prower had wandered into the garage and sat down in front of a glowing Vita-Chamber that had Sonic the Hedgehog residing in it. It had recently turned Twelve o'clock.

Tails sat on the cold concrete, illuminated by the dim green light that shadowed everything in the room. He wondered if Sonic could hear everything going on around him. If he would remember what happened to him. If he was aware that he was killed by Tails.

Not for the first time, anger welled up inside Tails. _Why me? Why did he have to choose me?_ Tails scrunched his eyes up and clenched his fists. _I didn't want to kill Sonic... _

Behind him, Tails heard the door creak open. Christopher Thorndyke tiptoed in, still in his pajamas. He stopped. "Tails?" He whispered, as if he thought he was going to wake someone up.

"Chris, what are you doing up so late?" Tails asked, feeling slightly uncomfortable around Chris. They'd hardly said a word to each other since Sonic died.

"I could ask the same for you.." Chris walked over to where Tails was sitting. "Mind if I sit down?"

Tails shrugged, so Chris sat beside him.

After a moment of silence, Chris asked "Why are you still awake, Tails?"

"I couldn't sleep."

Chris pulled his legs up to his chest and rested his head on his knees, his arms wrapped around his legs. "Me too." His navy blue eyes were looking up at Sonic, who floated peacefully in the tube with wires on his arms, legs and head. "I sure miss him.." He said quietly, almost like he was talking to himself.

"So do I." Tails murmured. "I hope this works." As they sat in silence, short of the gurgling of the water in the Chamber, Tails realized that was the longest conversation he's had with Chris since the Thorndyke child found out how Sonic was killed.

"Sometimes I have nightmares about it." Tails stated simply, knowing Chris knew what he was talking about. "When I woke up after... after the fight, I couldn't remember exactly what happened. But later on, I was able to remember. After Shine tried to see the memories." He shuddered and looked down at his feet. "I remember... shooting him. Shooting Sonic." Beside him, Chris looked at Tails, intrigued and confused. "I remember Mortuus made sure I felt no remorse when I killed him. But it let me remember."

Chris stared at him for a moment before saying "It wasn't _you _who killed Sonic, it was Mortuus. _It_ killed Sonic."

"But it used _my_ hands! _My _body! _My_ conscious!" Tails insisted. "_I_ killed Sonic! I have the memories of it, and I was the one who physically _attacked_ him!"

"Before you were trying to prove that you _didn't_ kill him, and now you're saying you _did_? Which one is it? Did you, or didn't you?" Chris demanded, his dark blue eyes flashing with anger in the dim light.

Tails looked back up at the Vita-Chamber. "I never said I didn't kill him. That was Shadow. Shadow doesn't have my memories, so it's impossible for him to tell. But I can tell from my memories that it was all _me _who killed him. I raised the gun to his chest. I pulled the trigger."

"If you killed Sonic," Chris asked quietly, his voice shaky "Then how can you sit around like it's nothing?"

Tails bristled. "Look, Chris, I know you lost a friend that was dear to you, but you weren't the one who _killed_ him. And you didn't lose a role-model and brother-like because you almost killed _him_," He thought about Shadow. "I lost the only family I've ever had, and it's either because I killed them or drove them away!"

Chris watched as Tails got to his feet. "Where are you going?"

Tails walked over to the garage door and opened it. "I'll tell you what," Tails growled, ignoring Chris' question. "When you kill your family and friends, give me a call. Then maybe we'll be able to understand each other, just a little bit better."

With that, Miles 'Tails' Prower walked out of the garage.

* * *

><p>Katherine Appallo Karma sat at the Thorndyke's coffee table, in their living room, drinking a glass of milk she'd poured for herself. It was twelve thirty-seven, and she was supposed to be asleep, but Kat just couldn't get unconscious for some reason. She sipped from the tall glass, staring blankly at the carpet.<p>

Suddenly, Tails burst in. He dropped to his hands and knees and sobbed on the carpet. He didn't seem to notice Kat until she was at his side.

"Tails, are you OK?" Kat asked, getting to her knees so she was eye-level with her friend. "What happened?"

It took Tails several moments to be able to answer. "No! I'm not OK! I killed Sonic! I forced Shadow out of my life! Out of everyone's life!" He sobbed.

Kat watched his tears fall onto the carpet, turning it from white to gray. "You make it sound like you're a horrible person." She said quietly.

"Because I am! I am a horrible person!" He wailed. Then he said more softly. "I could have stopped myself. Does it mean I didn't care about them? About Sonic and Shadow? That I didn't care at all about what happened to them? When you care about something enough, nothing gets in your way of helping it." He looked up at Kat.

Kat looked down at him with her lilac blue eyes. "You're not a horrible person, Tails. Mortuus is too powerful for you to control." Kat rested her hand on Tails' hand, which looked like it was trying to claw the carpet off the floor. "Of course you care about them, Tails, you have a big heart. You could care about anyone, even if you just met them." Tails looked away, pulling his hand away from her. She continued anyways. "You tried your best."

He clutched at the carpet. "My best...wasn't good enough." He uttered, staring down at the tear stains on the carpet.

"Be that as it may, but no one could do better." Kat reassured him.

"Don't patronize me." He snarled. "I know a handful of people who could have done better than me."

"Tails, you can't blame yourself for everything." Kat insisted. She liked Tails; She hated seeing him in pain like this. It tugged at her heart-strings. "There's a second chance for Sonic. We get the chance to bring him back."

"There is no 'second chance' for me. The past can't be changed." He looked up at Kat, his watery blue eyes full of remorse. "I can't undo what I've done."

Kat sighed. This was getting nowhere _real_ fast."Look, Tails. If you want to blame yourself for every little thing that goes wrong in your life and all the people's around you, go ahead. That's fine. You know why? Because you won't _have_ anyone around you. They would've all left because you are annoying the _crap_ out of by whining on what happened in the _past_. There's a reason it's called the 'past', you know. Because it's something that's already happened. And so what if you can't undo it? We're in the present, now, and that's the only time that matters." She stopped only to take a breath. "Now, if you want to live your life as a hermit with bad memories and nothing but a jar of dirt for a companion, than go right ahead. Just remember that it's the _present_, not the _past_."

Tails looked at her, astonished. After a moment, he asked "Is that really how I seem to you guys? A crazy person with no friends?"

Kat put her palm on her face, rubbed her eyes, and sighed before saying "That's not my point, right now, Tails." She sat him on his knees, her hands on his shoulders. "What I'm saying is that you can't keep living in the past; What's done is done. Keep the optimism high. Don't become consumed by what _happened_. Worry about what's _happening_."

Tails blinked at her. Then he leaned over and hugged her, before getting to his feet. He gave her a weak smile, before walking towards the doorway.

"Good night, Katherine Appallo Karma." Tails said, before leaving her kneeling in the living room.


	22. Chapter 22

**'Twisted Dragonfly' by Kenmochi Hidefumi.**

** Chapter Twenty-Two**

Shine watched as humans drove their cars in the far distance of the glowing city. Their vehicles moved silently, with the occasionally honk of a horn, and their headlights glared brightly against the darkness of the night. It troubled Shine how they were completely oblivious to the terrors that occurred in other people's lives.

"They all have somewhere to go," Shine muttered, her hands behind her head as she leaned in the valley between the roof above the window and the main roof. The distant city glowed brightly against the night-sky, gleaming. "It's almost frightful how they didn't realize what happened, yet..."

"Realize what?" A cheeky voice said from behind Shine. The sound of leathery wings flapping and heeled shoes landing on the roof made Shine tilt her back to see who was there.

"I suppose I should ask a more important question - Who are _you_?" Rouge the Bat rested the back of her hand on her hip, narrowing her eyes.

Shine froze. She didn't know is she should answer or not - Rouge the Bat is known to be a double crossing slime-ball.

"What are you doing here?" Shine growled, narrowing her eyes at Rouge. "It's a bit late to be here for a _visit_." She got to her feet and folded her arms across her chest.

"Hey," Rouge said, innocently putting her hands up. "I'm not here for a fight. I just saw you lying there. At first I thought you were Shadow, that's why I stopped here." Rouge blinked. "Do you know where he is?"

Shine watched her. "Shadow's not here at the moment." She said as casually as possible. "Why do you want to talk to him?"

"Do I need a reason? He's my friend."

"Last time you were here, you came to talk to Sonic. You knew Shadow was injured, so why didn't you come back for a visit, if you care so much about him?" Shine didn't move and inch as she spoke.

"How do you know about that?" Rouge blinked her aqua eyes at Shine. "I don't remember seeing you before."

"I was here," Shine growled "But I doubt someone like you could actually _find_ me. Of course, I doubt it's hard. You're unbelievably unobservant."

"Hey!" Rouge put both her hands on her hips. "That was just a _little _rude for our first time meeting, don't you think?"

Shine stared at her. Rouge's dropping in was unexpected and inconvenient.

"Why are you _really_ here?" Shine growled.

"I asked my questions first. So! Who are you?"

"Your Fairy Godmother." Shine retorted dryly. "My turn: Why are you here?"

"Weren't you ever told it's _rude_ to unsheathe your claws in a conversation?"

"Fine. Call me Lucet." Shine growled, giving her Latin name the Gerald Robotnik used. "So why are you here?" She repeated.

"The Mayor wants to see if Sonic and his little rag-tag team of squirts have actually been awake these past few weeks - We haven't been seeing much of them, right? So it's worrying the Mayor. He thinks you all flaked out on him." Rouge explained impatiently. "But there was something else. For Chuck, I mean. I can't tell you.. Er.. Lucet. But maybe Chuck will tell you, if you're a good little girl." Rouge smiled at Shine.

"What a lovely way to put it." Shine growled. So they _have_ noticed their absence.

In a flash, Shine suddenly had Rouge in a headlock, her gun loaded and pointed straight into the Bat's temple. "If you have even a shred of intelligence in this paper-weight you call a head, then you'll know better than to _not_ tell _anyone_ you saw me." Shine snarled into Rouge's ear. "Not even the Mayor. I don't need the press crawling all over me, right now."

Rouge grunted in surprise. "You know what I find odd, 'Lucet'? That you look almost exactly like Shadow. Who are you, and I want something other than your _name_." She hissed.

"I think your real concern, is the loaded gun that's pointing straight at your head, not my history." Shine growled.

"I should probably warn you, hun, blackmail doesn't work with me. I practically _invented_ it, alright? I can find even the tiniest loop holes in these kinds of things." Rouge retorted. She suddenly snapped her palm out, sending 'Celeste' flying into the air.

Shine pushed Rouge to the side, so the bat couldn't get 'Celeste', and caught it in the air. She hovered for a moment as Rouge flew at her, and she kicked Rouge flat in the chest, sending her flying yet again.

"Come on, kid. I can go all day, and it looks like you've already burnt out." Shine chided, putting her gun back in it's holster as Rouge got unstably to her feet.

"You overgrown _rat_." Rouge spat at Shine "Where's Shadow?"

Ignoring Rouge's question, Shine grinned. "If you call me an overgrown rat, than I suppose Shadow is too? I thought you liked him. What a shame." She shrugged, having way too much fun to care right now. "Besides, I'm a hedgehog, not rat... Unlike some of us..."

"Fine! You bitc-"

"Ah! Ah! Aaah! Language, my dear Rouge!" Shine snorted, waggling her index finger at Rouge. "And I'm not a dog either!" She started laughing.

Rouge gave up on the name calling, and made what could only be explained as a battle cry, before kicking at Shine. Shine caught Rouge's leg, twisted and tossed her to another part of the roof, where she laid, panting.

As Rouge tried to catch her breath, Shine put one hand on her hip and smiled. "Now, remember what I said. If you tell anyone, anyone at all, about me, I _will_ hunt you down and kill you myself. No one outside of this house needs to know about me." She jumped off the roof, landing gracefully on the ground below. As the garage opened, Shine saw Rouge's head peek over the edge of the roof.

"Oh," Shine remembered something from when Rouge first came to the Thorndyke house. "And if you want to put your dirty little hands all over my brother, I suggest you _wash_ them first. I wouldn't hate you so much if you didn't get into so much trouble." She smiled at the bat, who's eyes widened. "And you can tell the Mayor that Sonic and Shadow will be back when they're back - It can't be rushed."

"Wait!" Rouge called "My relationship with Shadow isn't _like_ that, OK?" She called after Shine stubbornly. "And what do you mean '_brother_'? Hey WAIT!"

Rouge jumped off the roof just as the garage door was closing, Shine walking towards Sonic's Vita-Chamber. Rouge slid through the bottom of the garage, right before the gap was too small for her to get through.

"What do you mean by 'Brother'?" Rouge repeated.

"You need to get out." Shine growled. The X Tornado must be in the way of Rouge's line of view, so the bat couldn't see the Vita-Chamber.

"I knew it! You're his sister!" Rouge stated triumphantly.

"Congratulations. Now get out."

"Hey, what's this... " Rouge saw the Vita-Chamber's light from behind the X Tornado, and started walking towards it. Her heels clicking against the concrete was the only noise in the garage, now.

Rouge gasped. "Is that..?"

"It is. Now get out." Shine repeated.

"How did he..." Rouge watched as Sonic the Hedgehog bobbled peacefully in the Chamber. "Why didn't you tell the mayor? Or more importantly, WHO KILLED HIM?"

"Shut your noise hole!" Shine hissed. "No one else can know, alright?"

Rouge thought about it for a moment. She seemed to realize that this was something that was she going to _have_ to keep to herself.

"If the city finds out, there's going to be a massive uproar!" Shine growled.

"Alright. I won't tell anyone." Rouge agreed quietly, still staring at Sonic. "But... Is Shadow...?"

"As far as I know, Shadow is fine." Shine reported, just as quietly. "I'll explain another time. At this ungodly hour, however, I have no intention to tell you anything." She said as Rouge looked at her curiously. "Come back sometime tomorrow."

Rouge nodded, her eyes worried. "I hope.. Shadow's OK."

Shine looked away from the Vita-Chamber, from Sonic, from Rouge. "He's tough. He'll pull through."

At least that's what Shine told herself.

**~Dances~ Woo! Random, abrupt ending! **


	23. Chapter 23

**Woohoo! I wrote this on my new laptop! ~Cheers~ I got to watch Sonic X on my T.V. while I wrote it... (Episodes 34 - 40, I think, cause those are the ones that introduce Shadow...Plus, they're the only Sonic X episodes that I have... Lol)**

**Merry Christmas, and enjoy the chapter!**

** Chapter Twenty Three**

"Mr. President, Rouge the Bat's report came back inconclusive. " The President's deputy reported. She held papers in her arm, and she spoke quietly. "She couldn't seem to find anything about Sonic. Nothing appears to be wrong, or so she says." She looked down at the President behind her thin-rimmed glasses. "Something seems fishy to me, Mr. President, and I think you should investigate with agents _ other_ than Rouge. She isn't exactly the most trustworthy person you've been affiliated with."

The President sat in his chair, his fingers on the bridge of his nose. He was staring at a picture of Sonic and his friends. Shadow the Hedgehog, an interesting creature that the president didn't know much about, was in the background. He was glancing over his shoulder, his arms crossed as he glared at the photographer.

He sighed and looked up at his deputy. "Is she sure? That nothing happened to him, I mean?"

"Positive, sir." She paused, before saying "That's what she says at least." She hesitated, then took a step towards the President's desk. "Sir, we cannot let this get out, not until we find out what happened to Sonic - That is, if anything happened to him at all, sir. There would be an outrageous uproar that we can't afford to deal with right now. Besides, it wouldn't looked very good to our voters, now would it?"

"You're right," The President groaned, sliding his fingers through his wiry white hair. "We need to find out what happened, and fast." He paused, and looked up at his deputy. "Would it be a little _too_ unorthodox to ask _ Eggman_ if he knows anything?"

"Sir, that isn't your main worry right now." Someone announced from he door. A tall man in a suit walked in casually. A man behind him, who was much shorter and had thickly rimmed glasses, followed in behind him. "There's a more scientific matter on our hands that I think you'd like to discuss."

The President sighed again. "What could _ possibly_ be wrong _ now_?"

"I know you must be busy with other matters at the moment, however, my scientists have discovered the most disconcerting of information." The man in the suit informed the President, his hand behind his back. He took a step to the side, allowing the man with the glasses to step forward and talk .

"Mr. President, allow me to introduce myself. I'm Professor Aldow Sheldon, and this is Professor Lawrie Kiln." He gestured the man in the suit, who gave a slight bow to the President.

"Who let you in?" The President's deputy growled, her eyes flashing behind her glasses. "How much did you hear?"

"Enough to not actually care about the topic." Professor Lawrie shrugged.

"So hardly anything?"

"Indeed." Professor Lawrie turned back to the President. "We believe your 'Alis', Sonic and his friends, are endangering the safety of the world - Even the galaxy and whatever could possibly be beyond it. When they Chaos Controlled here, they stretched the time threads of our world. Those threads are now snapping, Mr. President."

"We can't afford to lose any more time, Mr. President. We must act _ now_." Professor Aldow put in.

"... What happens if the threads break?" The President asked causally

"I'd venture to say all time will stop." Professor Lawrie answered darkly. His striking blue eyes pierced into the President's.

"Stop?"

"Yes. You see,this word and Sonic's world are trying to exist at the same time, but physics cannot allow that. Professor Aldow here, the lead physicist in my department, discovered this not too long ago. We don't have a lot of time left, so I suggest you make your decision _now_." Professor Lawrie said gravely. "Two worlds cannot coincide with each other."

"... I see." The President murmured quietly.

"Sir, this makes it all the more urgent we find out where they are. We have to send them back." The President's deputy put in, her fingers tightening around the papers she held.

There was a heavy silence in the room as the President contemplated this. "All of them?" He asked eventually.

"Yes, sir. It would be wise to do so." Professor Aldow advised. He pushed his glasses to the bridge of his nose.

The room went silent again. The President's palm went slick with sweat as he tried to firgure this out. _So Sonic's world is trying to collide with our own? ... I.. can't put my people's lives in danger..._

"Fine."

"Fine what?"

"Fine; They'll be sent back." He looked up, wiping his sweaty palms on his pants. "All of them."

"Excellent choice, sir. Your people will take comfort knowing that their time will resume." Mr. Lawrie smiled grimly.

"Sir, I don't know..." The deputy growled quietly.

"This isn't the easiest choice!" He snapped. He looked back at the photograph of Sonic and his friends. Shadow the Hedgehog glared back at him. "At least... we can take comfort knowing Shadow can stay. He was created here, so it doesn't matter if he says or goes."

"I'm sorry, sir, but it'll be safer if he leaves too. We need to ensure the safety of the world - Time must keep moving, sir." Professor Lawrie said quietly. "We need to leave the heroism to the people who live in _this_ world."

_... How am I going to tell the world that their hero is going to disappear for ever? _ The President thought to himself.

"As for their mod of transportation, sir, I've arranged a meeting with Chuck Thorndyke. He's a retired genius who will be able to build a machine that has the power to bring Sonic and his friends back." Professor Aldow reported. "None of our scientists have the first-hand knowledge that Mr. Thorndyke has, so he will be a viable Ali for us."

"Just... Get it over with." The President sighed. And to his deputy: "And make sure there's an agent trying to figure out what happened."

Professor Lawrie gave the President a slight bow. "Nice we got to have this little chat. Try to enjoy the rest of your evening, sir." He said before he and Professor Aldow walked out of the President's office.

**Meeeeeeh...**

**I didn't have a song for this piece... lol**

**Also, please dismiss any typos here... I'm still trying to get used to my laptop XD  
><strong>


	24. Chapter 24

**.-.**

**I was kinda listening to 'Sonic the Hedgehog The Movie 2012', but that was while I was editing, so you can listen to it if you actually wanted to XD  
><strong>

**:3**

** Chapter Twenty - Four  
><strong>

Shadow has finally found Eggman's base, after four weeks of searching. Now, he stood in a forest, outside a massive ship that Eggman had used to move around - And to avoid Shadow's wrath.

Sometimes the ship had gone under the surface of the water, or the ground, or high above the Earth, but now Shadow had managed to find Eggman while the fat bastard had landed.

Shadow clenched his fists and took a step towards edge of a rut the ship had made, and jumped onto it's Docking Bay. He'd have to get in via a very uncanny way.

Narrowing his eye angrily, he quietly moved towards the entrance of the Docking Bay and slid in, hopefully unnoticed. Ignoring the three large ships that had been docked inside, Shadow made his way to the doors that led to the ship's hallways. He snorted at how much of a narcissus Eggman was, slapping his logo on everything. The walls were patterned with his stupid picture, to each little stenciled face was it's own hand-sized tile.

Shadow ignored them and slid along the wall. Eggman's defenses appeared to on low, at the moment. Perhaps he was taking a rest.

He reached the corner and slid his hand along the wall, peering around the corner. It was empty and dark, just like the rest of the ship. _The Doctor is conserving energy while he rests so he can get moving as soon as he wakes..._ Shadow thought to himself.

His hand passed over one of the stenciled tiles and he stopped involuntarily. The tile had pressed into the wall - It was a trap.

"AN INTRUDER HAS BREACHED THE PREMISES! LOCK DOWN IS EFFECTIVE AS OF IMMEDIATELY!" A voice boomed through intercoms.

Pain shot through him and he screamed out in agony. He fell to his knees as black electricity shocked through him, jolting him. His spine arched inwards and his eye scrunched in pain.

He screamed in pain until he thought his lungs would burst.

* * *

><p>Shine gasped and stumbled, then fell forwards, barely able to throw her hands out in front of her to save herself from falling face first into the concrete in Chris Thorndyke's garage.<p>

Rouge, who was there to be informed about the issue at hand, looked around the room full of people. After a moment, she just backed up, not wanting to get involved.

"Shine, are you OK?" Knuckles ran forward and tried to gently pull her back to her feet, but was blasted back by an unseen force. Hit caught his footing, grunting.

"Shine!" Tails cried out, running forward, but stopped because Knuckles called out.

"No, don't!" Knuckles commanded urgently. "It won't help!"

Chuck backed up against the Vita-Chamber that contained Sonic. "Get out of the way, everyone! The energy could reach out to us!" He barked the order. Chris, Tails, and Knuckles all moved back, their backs against the garage walls.

Shine screamed out in complete pain. _What is going on?_ She screeched in her mind. _Why is this happening?_

Amy, Mr. Tanacka, Cream and Cheese, Ella, and Katherine rushed in. "Chuck, what's going on!" Amy called over Shine's screams.

"I'll tell you once I found out!" Chuck snapped.

A bead of sweat rolled down Shine's forehead as she clenched and unclenched her fists.

"Shine!" Katherine called out, her lilac blue eyes flashing. The young female fox had moved over to Tails and was hiding behind him. "We need to help her!"

"S-Shadow..." Shine managed to stutter. She took a breath, her head pounding, her body jolting in pain. "He's alive!" She cried out, before falling to the ground unconscious.

* * *

><p>Shadow opened his eye.<p>

He was in an empty room, with bright, white walls that hurt to look at. It was a small room, and Shadow was leaning against one of the bright white walls. It was hard to remember where he was, but then he saw a glass window across from him, with an unwelcome shape behind it.

"Eggman..." Shadow growled weakly. He tried to get up, but his body was sore, not to mention his arms were bound behind his back and to the wall, with the same electricity that paralyzed him before he went unconscious.

"I was beginning to think you would never wake up, Shadow." Doctor Eggman said calmly.

Shadow tried to get up again, but only manged to kneel. The bindings were something he'd never come across before, and they were incredibly hard to break through.

"I wouldn't try to break that, if I were you. It'll only be more painful than it is now." Eggman said into the intercom that connected to the tiny white room Shadow was in.

"Tell me why I shouldn't kill you right now." Shadow snarled, completely ignoring Eggman's warning.

Eggman sounded taken aback. "This is the thanks I get for saving you?" He snorted. "That will never happen again."

"What the hell are you talking about, Eggman?" Shadow tugged at the bindings. "You were the one who was trying to kill me in the first place. Why would you try to save me now? You sicked that damn monster on me and Sonic!"  
>"OK, OK, I know that's what you think... But! Let me have my say." Eggman's silhouette leaned back in his chair.<p>

Shadow glared at him expectantly.

Eggman cleared his throat. "I've lost control of Mortuus."

**I was really tired when I wrote this, so it's probably really weird lol x3**

* * *

><p><strong>Doc: You guys are really bad at this 'Good cop Bad cop' thing. You're like 'Bad cop' and 'Even worse cop'.**

**Wash.: ... Hit him.**

* * *

><p><strong>Lopez: *Says something about bombs and guns and motorcycles.*<strong>

**Donut: I agree, Lopez. Pencils _are_ great!**

**Lopez: *You fucking idiot.*  
><strong>


	25. Chapter 25

**~Season 9 woot woot~**

**'RvB OST: Meta's Theme' is the song for this chapter.**

** Chapter Twenty - Five**

Shadow stared at Doctor Eggman for a moment. "It's funny how I don't believe you. I wonder why that is?" He growled.

"It's a damn mystery." Eggman chuckled. He got to his feet. "But it doesn't matter if you believe me or not - I don't know where Mortuus has gone, although he made it clear he was going to be working alone." He walked into view, right in front of the glass. The Doctor took a moment to smooth his jacket, before speaking. "Now, I want to be civil-"

"The same way you were civil when you killed Sonic, and tried to killed me?" Shadow interrupted him. "Or is there more than one definition of 'civil' in your vocabulary?"

Eggman straightened his back. "Like I was saying: Mortuus has disappeared, and he made it clear as crystal he wasn't going to be working with _anyone_ _any_ time soon. So anyone could be infected by him - Everyone is in danger."

"How enlightening."

"Are able to be silent for more than twenty seconds?"

"You'd think so, wouldn't you?"

"Shut up." Eggman growled. "This is a dire situation, Shadow, you can't take this so lightly."

"I've been taking in most things worse than this, so I suppose this isn't so bad, hm?"

"You're unusually sarcastic today. It's out of character - And slightly unnerving."

"Just get on with it, Eggman." Shadow snarled. "I have a virus to destroy."

"I doubt you'll be able to find it in time."

"_EGGMAN! _Get on with it, damnit!"

"Fine. If Mortuus has decided to work on his own, then there is very little chance you will survive the next few days." Eggman explained. "It is determined to hunt you down and terminate you - It's original objective."

"I can deal with that." Shadow tugged at the energy bindings again.

"HEY! I told you to stop tugging at those bindings, you over-grown lab rat!" Eggman hit his fist against the glass. "I'm telling you, it will be _painful_ to break those!" Eggman paused. "That reminds me; Bokkun informed me he saw a hedgehog who looked very much like you."

"Bokkun isn't very reliable, is he?" Shadow retorted, covering for Shine - He didn't need Eggman knowing about her. Not yet. "You're an idiot to believe him." He glared. "And I'm not a rat. I'm a hedgehog."

"Yeah, yeah. Let's just say-"

"Let's just say you're an idiot."

Eggman let out an exasperated sigh. "What happened to you being all 'strong and silent'?"

"A friend's rubbed off on me, I suppose." Shadow tugged at the bindings again. "Now, is there anything else you need, or are you quite finished with keeping me holed up?"

"As a matter of fact, there is." Shadow felt the metal -that connected the energy and Shadow to the wall- move. He almost had it disconnected from the wall. "I have been informed that we are all being sent back to Sonic's world. _You_ are coming with us. _No_ exceptions."

"What? But Mortuus is still on the loose..." Shadow protested, still breaking the bindings.

"All time in this world will stop if we aren't sent back. Sonic's world and this world are trying to co-exist at the same time, but that can't be allowed to happen. Utter chaos will be the only thing to come out of it."

"That seems to be the only thing to come out of _anything_, lately." Shadow growled.

Suddenly, the bindings chose _that_ moment to break off the wall - And let and the energy course through Shadow. He grunted in pain as his vision fluctuated and blurred. His head felt stuffed with barbed cotton.

It left him with an odd sensation.

"I told you not to do that, you stupid rat!" Eggman shouted as Shadow straightened his back.

Shadow turned his head to the good side of his face and glared at The Doctor. He remaining eye flashed with something grim, deadly, and dark.

"I told you," He snarled darkly "I'm a _hedgehog_, not a _rat_, you dumb fuck_*****_." Shadow threw his hand up. "Chaos Control!"

And with that, he disappeared from the little white room.

* * *

><p>Doctor Ivo Robotnik, or also known as Doctor Eggman, watched Shadow disappear.<p>

_Doesn't he find it strange that he was able to handle that massive amount of energy? That nothing seems _right_?_

_ No matter._

_ Baby steps before running._

Eggman grinned to himself. This was certainly his most ingenius experiment ever.

*******Author's note: Oooh, bad word alert! Also a reference to 'Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back' XD*******

* * *

><p><strong>Guy 1: Hey did you hear that noise?<strong>

**Guy 2: It was probably the sound of you being an idiot.**

**Guy 1: Oh. You're probably right... Dick-biscuit.**

**Guy 2: ...**

* * *

><p><strong>Super kick-ass guy with gun  sword thing: Grrr. Snarrrl.**

**Guy: Stop right there or we'll shoot!... Uh... Is that a knife? Rifle? Knife rifle? A knifle?**

**Super kick-ass guy: ~Pulls gun out~ Snaaarl.**

**Guy: Oh shit! AAAAAAAH! **


	26. Chapter 26

**Chris isn't going to have a piss-fit when he finds out Sonic and everyone else have to go, he's probably just going to break down in tears or something. He's acts so stupid when he has his little piss-fits...**

**ONWARD, WE READ!**

**Oh yeah, and I was listening to 'RvB OST: Meta's Theme' is the song for this chapter.**

** Chapter Twenty - Six **

"So, we don't have much of a choice, do we?" Shine asked as she, Kat, Tails, Knuckles, Amy, Cream and Cheese, Chuck, and Chris where told by Rouge the Bat and another government agent that they all had to leave the world they were currently in and go to Sonic's. "The only thing we can do is comply."

Chuck crossed his arms. They were in the living room of the Thorndyke residence. "Why do they expect me to build this machine?"

"Because," The government agent said, standing uncomfortably in the living room, "You are the only one who can actually build it within the time that we have."

Tails looked at Chuck. "We can't leave without Shadow!"

"To be honest, Tails, Shadow is probably dea-"

"No! He can't be. I know he isn't."

Shine sighed. She didn't want to have this conversation. Again. "He's right, Chuck. Remember that weird invisible energy that knocked me out the other day? That was because of Shadow. That's how I know he's still alive."

_There's just something wrong with him. _ Shine thought to herself. _Something inside him seems to be... Dead._

"We have told Doctor Eggman about what happened, so you _all_ will be returning." The government agent stared at Shine, his eyes sharp. "Who _are_ you?" He asked after a moment.

"Just a friend of Shadow's."

"What's all this talk about Shadow's death? And where's Sonic?" The agent asked, abruptly changing the subject.

Shine looked at everyone in the room. "Should we tell them?"

Everyone was silent.

"They're going to find out anyways, right?" Knuckles asked. "So we might as well."

Shine shrugged. "Fine." She turned to the agent. "Sonic is dead. Eggman killed him with an experiment called Mortuus." _That infected Tails here and almost killed Shadow._ Shine thought, but she left that out - No need to worry them further.

"What?" The agent gasped. He turned to Rouge. "Did you know about this?" Without waiting for an answer, he turned to everyone in the room. "Why didn't you tell anyone?"

"We aren't obligated to." Shine growled. "It actually doesn't matter anymore . You're sending him away, so it's not like you're missing out on anything."

Chris stared at the wall. "I just can't believe... You're all being taken away..." He looked like he wanted to cry, although he didn't for some reason. Maybe he was actually able to keep control of his emotions, for once.

"What about Shadow?" The agent persisted. "I heard you say something about him dying, too."

"Relax," Chuck leaned back on the couch. "Shine's right, I suppose. He's probably-"

He was cut off as a yellow light lit up the room. The light faded, and Shadow the Hedgehog stood up from a kneeling position, and opened his one remaining eye, his face a scarred and emotionless mask.

"-...Here?" Chuck blinked at Shadow.

Shadow scanned the room, and let his one-eyed gazed fall on Shine. "Don't think I'm just going to let you leave without me." He growled good-naturedly.

"Couldn't have picked a more dramatic entrance, huh?" Shine grinned. "I take it you finally destroyed Mortuus?"

"No," Shadow growled. "Mortuus has disappeared, according to Eggman. So I came back here."

"Shadow?" Tails gasped and got to his feet. At first he seemed to want to instantly go to hug him, as he would with Sonic, but stopped. Instead, he took a... less _clingy_ approach. Tails started laughing. He pointed at Shadow and glared at the agent. "See? I told you! I told you he was still alive!"

The agent took a step back. "Yeah.. Well, I better, uh, I better get back to the.. The President." He rushed out of the room, calling over his shoulder "Good luck building the machine!"

Shine stared after him for a moment, before turning back to Shadow. "So... Mind telling us what happened?"


	27. Chapter 27

**'Serenity' by Godsmack**

**Wtf, only 475+ words for this chapter...  
><strong>

** Chapter Twenty Seven**

"So, along with his sanity, Eggman's managed to lose Mortuus." Shadow explained. He folded his arms across his chest, just as Shine had. They looked like mirrors that had the colors altered slightly.

"How did he manage that?" Knuckles snorted.

"That's what I wanted to know, but Eggman wouldn't tell me anything other than 'I lost it. I have no control over it. Blah blah blah.'"Shadow mimicked Eggman.

"That has to be the _worst_ impersonation of Eggman I've _ever_ heard."

"Shut up."

"Wait, shut up both of you." Shine ordered. "Shadow, first of all, why were you talking to Eggman? And second of all; _Eggman has no control over Mortuus anymore_?"

"Yeah. I can't really say if he was holding me captive, or if he was helping me, but he was talking to me the whole time. Also, yeah, he lost control of Mortuus. He said that Mortuus wanted to work alone now." Shadow glanced at Rouge, who was glaring angrily at him. "... What?"

"You didn't say good-bye."

"There's no such thing as a 'good' bye."

"Oh, shut up will you?"

"Rouge, stop pestering him. Shadow, stop being an ass." Shine scolded. "Honestly, do I have to be everyone's mother?" She turned back to Shadow. "So I take it Eggman also told you that we're being sent back?"

"Yes." Shadow looked back at his sister. "If Mortuus has escaped Eggman's control, then it's somewhere in this world looking for _me_. I figured we will be able to keep it here when we leave."

"And leave it for us? No _thanks_." Chuck snorted.

"Listen, old man. I don't want to leave it here, but it's stupid to bring it back with us." Shadow growled. "Besides, it's far less likely to go on a killing spree _here_, than it is back in Sonic's world." _And I could care less if humans _here_ died. It's not our problem anymore._

"There's a problem with that: It'll take about a week to build a machine to bring you all back - And that's if I'm working twenty-four/seven." Chuck growled back.

"Well then you better start working, huh Grandpa?" Shadow snarled dryly.

"I see you haven't changed a bit, other than that inflated ego of yours..." Chuck muttered as he got to his feet and walked out the door that led to the garage.

"Now," Shadow turned back to the rest of the room. "We have some catching up to do."


	28. Chapter 28

**'Leave Out All The Rest' by Linkin Park **

**570+ words? AAAH!  
><strong>

** Chapter Twenty - Eight**

Shadow, Shine, and Tails sat in the attic - The one place where they could be left along.

"I thought you were going to..." Tails began, but trailed off. He looked up at Shadow, who was standing by the window. "I didn't think you'd come back."

"Of course I'll come back." Shadow muttered. "I always manage to, somehow."

Tails watched Shadow. Something seemed different about him. Perhaps isolation has affected him...

"Shadow, you need to tell us more about Mortuus." Shine insisted, sitting on the edge of the bed.

"I've told you everything I know about it. All I know is that it suddenly rebelled against Eggman and is now trying to kill me." He looked out the window. "Eggman thinks I have only a few days."

Tails blinked. "A few days? But Chuck says he'll only be able to get the machine done in a week."

"Exactly." Shadow looked back at them. "So we're about to have either really epic fight, or a tragic ending to yours truly." He looked at Shine. "Which reminds me-"

"How does that remind you of _anything_?"

"... I really don't know. Anyways, Shine you have to be more careful - One of Eggman's robots saw you and reported it to him."

"I'm thinking my little secret is about to be a well known fact, pretty soon." Shine shrugged. "That agent saw me. Rouge knows me. With enough bribing, Rouge will do just about anything."

"That isn't exactly a good thing for you."

"Eh."

Tails looked from Shadow to Shine and back. Sometimes, when Tails was able to block out all noise, it looked like Shadow was having an argument with himself.

"Shadow, about a day or two ago, something strange happened." Shine began "It was like I was being electrified. I'm guessing it had something to do with you?"

"Eggman paralyzed me with some weird energy field. Took me out for a couple of days."

"I see. Took me out for the afternoon." Shine tilted her head at him. "Is that some sort of weird twin-thing?"

"I would think so."

"You guys," Tails interrupted "Sorry to stop this...conversation, but I just want to point out that Sonic isn't actually up and running yet - His heart is beating, but he isn't exactly _alive_ yet." He looked at Shadow. "Also, why did it take so long for you to find Eggman?"

"It's a...long.. story... Anyways, we'll just have to carry Sonic back through to your world."

"...Right... While he's in the tube..."

"Right. It's a relatively light tube."

The room was silent for a moment. Shine was staring out the window from her seat on the bed, Shadow was glaring at the wall, and Tails was staring at his hands. Then he looked up. "You're not...leaving again, are you?"

Shadow looked back at Tails. "No," He smiled grimly. The beam of sunlight from the window shone down on Shadow's face, illuminating the half that was scarred. "Not yet, at least."


	29. Chapter 29

**Oh, yeah, and if you're wondering why I didn't have Eggman say 'We're going back to my world,' it's because he was born in the same world as Shadow, Shine, and Chris. **

**And Katherine Appallo Karma **_**is**_** from Sonic's world too.**

** Chapter Twenty - Nine**

_ The thing about family, _Shine thought to herself, _is that they never seem to go away forever. You could abadnon them in the worst of times, and yet they are still there, waiting for you to come back. They are always there for comfort and always there for help._

_ Shadow and I - Are we family? Sure, we're blood related, but are we truly there for each other, 24/7? I'm here for Shadow, but is he here for me?_

_ After all these years, I've finally found Shadow because _I_ looked for him, _I _hunted him down. It's the reason I was created._

* * *

><p>Shadow had his back to faced to the cameras and news reporters.<p>

"Charlotte Garcia, here, with your news update." A news reporter said into a microphone. "Our strange Alis and heroes are making their final department on this day. We are joined by the President to make a speech and say their good-byes to these brave creatures who've helped us fight Eggman."

"Who is also here! And is also leaving! I know, many of you are bawling, but! Do not fret! I won't miss you!" Eggman popped onto the set and said into the microphone that Charlotte Garcia held gingerly out to Eggman.

Shadow watched as the reporter made her way to the President and started talking to them in a hushed voice.

"Cameras one and two are off! Five minute commercial is up, Garcia! Make this quick." One of the camera men called to the reporter.

"I feel uncomfortable around this many cameras."

Shadow turned the good side of his face to Shine, who had walked over to him, and was now mirroring him unconsciously. She crossed her arms across her chest and watched the reporter.

"I do too, but at least it's almost over." Shadow agreed.

"Yeah. I hate being caught on camera, it's-"

"That's not what I meant." Shadow interrupted. "I mean _it's almost over_ - We don't have to fight Mortuus anymore. He'll be trapped in this world until someone finds the technology to destroy him."

Shine continued to stare at the President, not answering him. _I wonder what she's thinking... _Shadow narrowed his eye. Someday he was going to be on the same page as Shine.

As a change of subject, Shadow turned to the giant machine behind them that was about to create enough energy to make a portal and send them Sonic's world. "I hope this works, otherwise something unfortunate is bound to happen."

"Something unfortunate is _always_ bound to happen," Shine muttered so quietly, Shadow didn't think it was meant for him to hear.

Shine smoothed her overcoat, even though it was leather and had no wrinkles. Her white eyes were glaring at nothing.

"Cameras are back on in five, four three.." The camera man started the countdown. "We're on air!" He called out, right before the light on the camera blinked on.

"So, Mr. President, can you tell us why these brave heroes are being sent back?" Charlotte Garcia asked the nervous-looking President.

"There is a scientist here who can explain properly, Mrs. Garcia. I'd rather he say it." The President stepped aside and let a tall man in a suit with sharp green eyes and rather perfect hair stepped into view of the camera.

"I am Professor Lawrie Sheldon. A colleague of mine has discovered that in the time that Sonic and his friends have been here, time has been slowing. Soon, it will come to an all-together stop." Professor Lawrie explained in a silky tone. "This is the reason we are sending them back. Time in both worlds has be shortened by an estimate of twenty minutes."

"I see." Charlotte murmured thoughtfully. She turned to Shadow, Shine and the rest of the group - Including Chris, who was on the verge of tears. "Can you tell us where Sonic is now? I'm afraid I don't see him here."

Shadow shifted uncomfortably beside Shine, who avoided Garcia's eyes, just like everyone else in the group.

Except for Chuck, who pointed at a medium sized U-HAUL that was sitting on the road. "There he is."

"..." Charlotte watched the U-HAUL for a moment, as if she expected Sonic to jump out any minute. "Is he going to come out?" She asked eventually.

"...No." Chuck said slowly, like he was talking to a three-year-old who thought snow was warm. "He's not."

"Why not?"

It was silent for a moment, before Eggman walked into view of the camera again. "Oh, hey, yeah. I forgot to tell you something."

* * *

><p>After about half an hour of explaining, gasping, questions and annoying the hell out of Shadow, Charlotte Garcia nodded. "I see... The nation is sure to dislike this.."<p>

_No, really? Dipshit.. _"Can we just get this portal fired up, now?" Shadow growled to Chuck.

Chuck nodded and started typing things in to the giant machine. Tails, who had his plane all set up to be sent back, was beside Chuck to help him.

With a sudden roar, the machine came to life. A purple and yellow light glowed from the machine - It was the portal.

Everyone said their good-byes, and walked through the portal - Except for Shadow and Shine. They walked to the truck that held Sonic, opened it, and pulled the giant Vita-Chamber out. They made it look so easy.

"We need to get it through the portal as fast as possible, Shine." Shadow ordered. "Sonic doesn't need any close-ups today."

Shine nodded.

"Wait!" Charlotte Garcia called to them as they were climbing the ramp up to the portal. "I've been itching to ask this; Who are you?" She put the microphone in front of Shine's face.

Shine looked over at Shadow, who hesitated, before giving a nod.

"I'm family." Is all she said, before she and Shadow stepped through the portal and into a new world.


	30. Chapter 30

**'The Cat Returns 25. Kaze Ni Naru (Become the Wind)' **

**I know, abrupt change in music genre lol**

**Woo! We made it to 30! ~Pops a firework~**

**..Moving on.**

** Chapter Thirty**

It's been about six months since Tails and his friends were returned to their world.

Right now, Tails, Cream and Cheese, and Kat were outside. The sky was streaked red with the setting sun's light, and the air was warm.

"Chu chu!" Cheese called out. She was pointing at something in the grassy field she and Cream were playing in.

"I'm coming!" Cream called back.

Katherine watched them, her lilac eyes softened as she watched them.

"What is it?" Tails asked. Kat didn't often act like this.

"It's just nice to feel part of a family." She said after a moment. "I've had Shine around, but she's not a whole family.."

"Oh." Tails looked back at Cream and Cheese, who found a huge, fluffy caterpillar and were letting it crawl all over them. Tails and Kat sat on a slight hill that overlooked the field. "Why don't you just go back to your family?"

Kat didn't look away from the field. "I never really knew my mother. My father was the one who took care of me. My mother left me for dead a short while after I was born, and told my father that I had died during birth." A slight wind tugged at their fur, and the grass around them. "I'm just lucky my father found me."

"Why don't you go back to your father, then?" Tails asked, feeling kind of bad at the same time.

"He was killed." She said simply. "He was kind of like you, too, you know. He was extraordinarily intelligent. I wanted to be like him when I was smaller, but then when he got killed I didn't know what to do. I was lucky we were sent to the other world, otherwise I wouldn't have found Shine." She smiled. "Now, she's my role model."

Tails was silent for a moment. "I'm sorry. That I asked, I mean. It must be pretty painful." He apologized.

"Yes, well, it _was_ quite some time ago." Kat laid her eyes on Tails'. "I can handle it, now. "

"Sonic and Shadow are _my_ role models." Tails said, after a moment.

"Do you think Shadow will be alright?" Kat broke the silence that followed Tails' statement.

"What do you mean? He's fine. He's alive - We talk to him, like, everyday." Tails was confused. What does she _mean_?

"I just think he's been acting a bit... weird, that's all." Kat said slowly, like she was choosing her words carefully.

"He's in a world he's never been to before. Of course he's going to act weird." Tails replied, instantly coming to his friend's aid.

The caterpillar that Cream and Cheese were playing with had dropped back into the grass, and now Cream and Cheese were trying to look for it.

"That makes sense, I suppose.." Kat agreed quietly.

Tails looked up at the sky. Stars were starting to dot the sky and the moon was starting to show against the blood-red background and cloud wisps.

"We should get back, soon-" Tails began, but was cut off by Cream and Cheese, who were hollering and screaming for Tails and Kat.

Tails grabbed Kat's wrist and ran down the hill and through the field of grass, towards the sound of Cream and Cheese's voices. "What's wrong?" Tails called out.

Cream and Cheese had gone pretty far since the last time Tails checked - Now they were in the edge of the forest.

"Look! Tails, we need to help her!'

Tails looked at what Cream was pointing at and gasped.

Lying awkwardly on the ground, was a little green plantarian, right outside her ruined escaped pod that was wrecked beyond repair.

**End Part One**

* * *

><p><strong>This chapter sucked... Only because it had Cosmo in it... Just sayin'...<strong>

**Actually, it's because I wanted to introduce Cosmo in a different way than how they did on Sonic X **

**XD**


	31. Chapter 31

**'From Episode 1:S-Team #1", From the Sonic X Episodes.**

**Yeah... I downloaded some of the music... lol**

**And yes, I twisted Sonic's part around and replace it with Shadow xD So do me a favor and don't say anything about it -_- lol**

** Chapter Thirty - One**

**Part Two  
><strong>

Shadow the Hedgehog was sent to this world about six months ago - And he was still finding it hard to get used to this place.**  
><strong>

Right now, Shadow stood on the roof of Cream the Rabbit's house. He was staring out into the ebony sky.

"Somehow," He murmured "It doesn't feel safe." A star shot through the sky. "As if lives are still in peril..."

Shadow suddenly noticed something: The shooting star was turning red. In fact, it wasn't a star at all. Shadow narrowed his eye. It was heating up as it entered the atmosphere.

"That can't be good..." Shadow growled under his breath. He shot towards the object, quickly slicing through the air. He neared it, and collided, sending the object flying backwards.

It was like a giant robot. It had broad shoulders and a tattered cape.

Shadow watched it for a moment. "Who are you?" He asked after a moment.

"I," The robot said in a cold voice "Am Dark Oak." It pointed a long, sharp finger at Shadow. "_You_ have interfered with my objective."

Shadow glared at it for a moment longer before shooting towards it like a bullet. Just as he was about to hit it with a strong punch, it moved and pulled a huge sword out, and lunged at Shadow.

Just barely able to dodge a whistling sword, Shadow moved back. "What is this 'objective'?"

There was a silence, before the robot replied coldly "To retrieve the seven Chaos Emeralds and this planet's egg."

"I don't know what the hell a Planet Egg is, but you're _not_ getting the Chaos Emeralds." Shadow growled. "That's a promise."

"Do not delay your own demise." The robot straightened itself, and looked down at a gap in it's side that Shadow made.

"My death has been following me around a lot lately," Shadow retorted "So I'm not surprised if it's caught up already. That doesn't mean I won't put up a fight!" He rushed at the robot and knocked it backwards again, but was quickly pushed away and almost sliced in half.

Shadow soared away from the 'bot. He managed to regain control and glared at it. "You're going to regret that." He snarled as he went from black-and-red to gold-and-red; Super Shadow.

"I highly doubt that." Dark Oak's voice echoed into Shadow's ears.

Shadow ignored it and appeared behind it. He kicked Dark Oak's back, then - as the robot was falling forward- Shadow disappeared and reappeared in front of Dark Oak. He kicked it's front, denting it's metal chest.

"Foolish creature," Dark Oak taunted as he tried hitting Shadow with his sword. "You're only delaying our triumph!"

Shadow stopped. "Our?" There was more of them?

In Shadow's moment of hesitation, Dark Oak sent Shadow soaring after hitting the side of his head. "My army." It snarled.

Shadow struggled to regain balance, but when he managed to, he sent several Chaos Spears flying towards Dark Oak - Which reflected off the robot's metallic armor and rebounded onto Shadow. Shadow cried out in pain.

_Damn!_ This thing had far stronger armor than he thought - And more tricks up it's sleeve than it should. _It's using my own attacks on me... And I was giving it everything I had, too!_

Shadow breathed hard as he glared at Dark Oak. _I have to think fast, or else this is going to end badly..._

"Give me the seven Chaos Emeralds, pitiful creature, and your life will ripped away from you in a painless manner." Dark Oak ordered, pointing the sword out to the weakened Shadow.

Shadow didn't dare break eye contact with this robot. "Never." He snarled as the Chaos Emeralds shot away from him and towards the surrounding planets - Some went even farther.

Dark Oak laughed. "Foolish animal! These planets will pay for you ridiculous actions!"

Shadow's eye flashed. "Not if we can take you down, first..." He growled weakly.

Dark Oak lowered the sword. "This shall be an interesting fight, then."

Shadow was about to respond, when his vision started to fade and he began to fall towards his new home planet.

* * *

><p>Dark Oak watched the weak animal fall back toward his planet.<p>

"It is only delaying the inevitable." Dark Oak growled. "Harvest it's Planet Egg, and gather any Chaos Emeralds you find." Dark Oak commanded to the unseen army behind him.

"We will see who wins this fight, Hedgehog."


	32. Chapter 32

**'From Episode 34: Shadow #1' - Best downloading decision ever made... x3**

**After the line, is 'RvB OST: Meta's Theme'**

** Chapter Thirty - Two**

_** Shadow, my dear acquaintance, you appear to want to repel me and my words. I am clueless as to why, for my words - and I - will **_**help**_** you. I wish for you to work for me - And I myself will work with you.**_

_** You see, if you get down to the crux of things, we want almost the same thing. You want vengeance, I want power. Both can be achieved the same way.**_

_** We are similar - We think the same, we were created in a lab, and we both have one thing on our minds - Death. **_

_** You want to destroy me, I know, but we can work together. You and I could achieve amazing feats, if you allowed it. I want to work with you, but in order to do so, **_**you**_** have to want to work with **_**me**_**. If you do not comply, I will simply choose someone who can't deny my offer - And you **_**will**_** be destroyed.**_

_** I sleep, for now, but soon I will be awakened. Does that remind you of anything? I should hope it does.**_

_** When I wake, I want it to be **_**you **_**who awakens me, Shadow the**_**_ Hedgehog_**

****_** Awaken Mortuus.**_

* * *

><p>Shadow's vision was blurry, and he couldn't see much of anything, but he knew who was standing in front of him - He could feel their presence like it was pressure in his ears.<p>

"Shadow?" Shine's voice echoed to him. "Shadow? Do you need anything?"

Shadow was in a room, on a bed. Shine was standing on the side of the bed. Shadow figure they were in Cream's home.

There was someone else in the room. Someone he didn't recognize. Shadow was lying so that the scarred part of his face - the entire right side - wasn't in the newcomer's line of sight, which meant he couldn't see this new person.

"Shadow, answer me." Shine's voice came again. "Shaaaadoooowwww?"

Shadow blinked, letting things come back into view. Shine was staring at him.

"Is he alright?" A soft voice came from the other side of the room - Shadow guessed it was the newcomer.

"Oh, you're awake too?" Shine walked away from Shadow's bed towards the other person. "I didn't notice. Do _you_ need anything?"

"I've been awake for a while." There was a pause, before the soft-voiced girl asked "Is he going to be alright?"

"Shadow? He'll be fine. He's basically been through hell and back once before." Shine snorted as Shadow tried to get into a sitting position.

"Shadow..." The girl murmured softly. Shadow could feel her gaze on him as he grunted and continued to try and sit up.

"Don't strain anything," Shine said dryly to Shadow.

"Shut up.." He hissed as he sat back in the pillows, finally comfortable. He still felt the girl's gaze on him.

He turned his head to look at her. The girl was sitting on the bed adjacent to Shadow's. She was a mere child - A Plantarian. He's heard of them since he got to this world, but he didn't know much about them. Her attire was completely made up of green, white, yellow, and she had two pink flower-buns on the side of her head.

Her emerald eyes widened, and she gasped. "What happened to your face?" She brought her hand up to the right side of her own face, as if she could feel the scars there.

"It's complicated." He growled. He turned to Shine. "How long have I been out?"

"Almost three days. What were you fighting that took you out so easily - And while you were in Super' form, too?" Shine inquired, walking back towards her brother.

"I'm not sure, to be honest." Shadow glanced back at the girl, who was staring at Shadow and Shine. "... What?"

"I don't mean to sound rude, but how often are you fighting? You guys sound so casual when you're talking about injuries and violence..." She pulled the bedsheets on her bed closer to her chest, where a pink amulet glinted.

"More often than not." Shine crossed her arms. "It seems to be one thing after another, doesn't it, Shadow?"

Shadow remained silent. He was to occupied on something that seemed to be lingering in his mind - Something he heard in a dream while he was unconscious. Whenever he thought he was close enough to grasp at it, however, it would quickly dissipate, leaving Shadow frustrated.

"Shadow?" Shine let her arms fall to her sides. "You OK?"

Shadow blinked at looked up at his sister. "Yeah. I'm fine."

_I need to find out what this dream was...  
><em>

**Bum bum bummm ~Dramatic Shadow~**


	33. Chapter 33

**'RvB OST: Meta's Theme' I just kinda left it at that x3**

**Free high-fives if y'all find hidden RvB quotes... Just cause I feel like giving free high-fives out XD**

** Chapter Thirty - Three**

"So your name is Cosmo?" Knuckles asked suspiciously

All of Tails' friends were gathered in Cream the Rabbit's living room. Cosmo was sitting in one of the seats, on edge and looking uncomfortable.

"Yes. My family -And the rest of my species- were wiped out by the Meterax." She explained softly. "I was the only one who survived. I came here in an escape pod because I heard of some people here who might be able to help me."

"The Meterax?" Amy blinked. "What is that?"

"_They_ are a group robots that want to wipe out all animal life in the galaxy." Cosmo shifted in her seat.

"Who was it you were looking for?" Tails asked.

"One of their names was Sonic," Cosmo avoided looking Tails in the eye. "The other was Shadow."

At the sound of his name, Shadow's ears perked. Tails watched as Shine nudged Shadow's arm. "I guess gossip travels fast around the galaxy, huh?" She snorted.

Shadow didn't answer, and instead looked away again. From their spots near the window, Shadow and Shine looked like mirror images - Except one had a coat on. They were standing near the large window, and Shine was the only one who actually appeared to be listening to the conversation out of the two.

"I was told that they might be able to help me... Apparently, they've completed many brave feats, some not even in this world." Cosmo went on. She was staring at Shadow.

Now it was Tails' turn to shift uncomfortably. Sonic was still in the Vita-Chamber. His organs were torn to ribbons when he was shot - The bullets that were used to shoot him were crafty little creations. They were meant to open up and shred all the tissue it could - That's why it's taking Sonic so long to recuperate.

"Unfortunately, neither of us are taking requests." Shadow growled, breaking the uncomfortable silence. He didn't look away from the window, even though everyone turned to look at him.

"Shadow..." Shine whispered to her brother "Are you OK? Your head got a couple of nasty hits..."

"I'm fine." Shadow muttered, starting to walk away from the window and towards the doorway. "I just have no reason to trust, nor help, this kid."

Tails watched Shadow leave the room. "...Shadow?"

Cosmo watched him leave, too. "I'm sorry." She apologized after a moment, dipping her head. "I must have gotten him angry. I shouldn't have been so abrupt."

Shine didn't look away from the doorway as she spoke, even though Shadow was already gone. "No, don't apologize. Shadow seems to have a thirty-foot pole up his ass and is taking it out on us." She continued to stare for a moment, before following Shadow out the door. "I'll be back." She called over her shoulder.

Katherine Appallo Karma stared after her. "... Well. That was fun."

* * *

><p>Shine followed her brother out of the house.<p>

"What the hell is wrong with you, Shadow?" Shine demanded, grabbing Shadow's shoulder and pulling him back towards her.

Shadow glared back at her with his one eye, but didn't answer.

"Shadow, why won't you help this girl?" Shine hissed, glaring with just as much malice. "Her story is simple: Her species died, she needs help. What the hell don't you trust about that?"

"Nothing is ever '_simple_', anymore." Shadow growled. "Maybe things were quiet for the past six months, but _simplicity_ is a short-lived experience in our lives. Things are about to get _loud_." He retorted. "And doesn't it feel like she's not telling the _whole_ truth?"

"God damnit, Shadow, sometimes I just want to-..." Shine cut off and looked away from Shadow.

Shadow brushed her hand off his shoulder and took a step back. "'Just want to..' what? Go ahead and say it, Shine." He taunted. "Just want to... Slap me? Punch me? Shoot me? _Kill_ me?" He narrowed his eye. "That _is_ the reason you were created, is it not?"

Shine clenched her fists and looked back at Shadow. "Someday you're going to get your ass kicked beyond repair, and no one will be there for you." She growled with and icy calmness. "Because _you_ scared them all off. You barked and barked and barked until they decided to finally just _leave_."

Shadow took another step back as Shine took one forward.

"Well, guess what, Shadow? People are starting to leave." Shine continued darkly. "And they're not regretting it."

* * *

><p>"Dark Oak?" Cosmo gasped after Tails told her what Shadow said he had fought before he had gotten knocked out.<p>

"Do you know him?" Tails asked.

"O-of course I know Dark Oak! He's the leader of the Meterax!" Cosmo explained hurriedly. "Your friend's lucky he survived that fight!"

Kat leaned forward. "How did you survive, if you don't mind my asking?"

Cosmo looked down at her hands. "I... don't know. They just seemed to have... _missed_ me." She answered quietly.

Knuckles and Amy exchanged glances with each other

Suddenly, a voice interrupted their Kat's next words. "I've decided I will help you."

Tails turned around to see Shine and Shadow walking back into the room. Shine avoided eye-contact with everyone, but Shadow's eye was boring right into Cosmo's.

Cosmo jumped to her feet. "Thank you, Shadow!" Her eyes glowed. "I know this isn't exactly _fun_..." Cosmo added. "You know, to be helping people all the time."

"Well," Shadow muttered "It doesn't make me excited."


	34. Chapter 34

**'From Sonic X: Shadow the Hedgehog** **Background music (Two songs)'**

**I was listening to a video I made! God, that feels good to say XD**

** Chapter Thirty - Four**

_**Shadow, my friend. Why are you ignoring my words? My wisdom? My help? You and I can achieve amazing things, yet you do not wish to know about them. We could be a team.**_

_** Listen to me now, Shadow: You are weak without me. You have no back-up power. But if we work together, that won't happen. Nothing could stop us. **_

_** Are you still mad because of what I did to Sonic? You must understand, my fabricated friend, that the past must be forgotten. I was only trying to complete my assigned objective - At the time, it was to eliminate you and Sonic. **_

_** Let me into your conscious, Shadow. Let me help you be strong. Imagine how easy it would be to destroy the Meterax. Yes, I am fully aware of the Meterax. Dark Oak beat you, Shadow... We both know it doesn't feel good to be beat. If you joined me before-hand, that would have never happened.**_

_** We would be a God, you and I.. Not this filthy, lowly creature that you are. We could help that Cosmo-child with ease. We could find the Chaos Emeralds as fast as you could run. It would be easy... Listen to my words. Listen to my wisdom, Shadow. I **_**will**_** be able to help - And vice versa.**_

_** And the best part is: You won't have to worry about death. Half of you would already **_**be**_** dead. We'd be virtually immortal - Living for as long as you can dodge the bullet of Intentional Death.**_

_** Yes... You and I will make an **_**excellent**_** team.**_

* * *

><p>Shadow stood in Tails' work-shop, with the fox himself. They stood in front of a large tube that contained three things: Chemicals, water, and Sonic the Hedgehog.<p>

"How much longer, do you think?" Tails asked quietly. "For him to be ready to.. You know - Be _normal_?"

"Tails, I hate to break it to you, but I don't think things are ever going to be 'normal' again." Shadow replied, just as quietly. He'd had another dream... But this time, he remembered a little bit of it. Someone...No, _something_ was trying to convince him to... do... something.

"... Sometimes, I wish I could reverse time..." Tails muttered stubbornly. Shadow rested his hand on Tails' shoulder as a sign of reassurance, before pulling it back and crossing his arms.

He stared at the Vita-Chamber, his arms crossed, his eye narrowed. _Come on, Sonic, you have to pull through. I can't do this alone..._

* * *

><p><em><strong>You aren't alone, Shadow.<strong>_

_** Now you have me.**_


	35. Chapter 35

**Woooooooooooo.. .-.**

**'Somewhere I belong' by Linkin Park**

**After the line: 'Animal I have become' by Three Days Grace**

** Chapter Thirty - Five**

Cosmo jumped to her feet. "Thank you, Shadow!" Her eyes glowed. "I know this isn't exactly _fun_..." Cosmo added. "You know, to be helping people all the time."

"Well," Shadow muttered "It doesn't make me excited."

Shine brushed past Shadow, her eyes glinting.

Tails walked up to Shadow. "Are you OK?" He asked with genuine curiosity. "You seem distracted."

"I'm fine.." Shadow glanced up at the rest of the room, before pulling Tails outside the room and looking him in the eye. "Tails, let me ask you something: Is it possible for Mortuus to have followed us here?"

Tails blinked. "Not unless it can Chaos Control, like you, but I seriously doubt it could. Why? What's wrong?"

Shadow let out a quiet huff of relief. "I think I'm imagining it's voice, Tails." He admitted after a moment. "Like, when I'm asleep."

"That's weird..." Tails murmured thoughtfully. "But I'm afraid I can't help you with that, Shadow." Tails paused, and looked back into the room. Kat was talking to Shine and Amy and Knuckles her talking to Cosmo.

Suddenly, Cream, Cheese, and Vanilla walked in, holding platters full of food. "Lunch is ready, guys, so come and get it before it's gone!" Cream announced cheerfully.

"Chu chu chu chu!" Cheese cheered, taking half a sandwich and stuffing it in her mouth.

At that moment, Shadow straightened his back and started to walk towards the door.

"Shadow, where are you going?" Tails watched him walk.

"I'm going to the workshop." Was the only answer Tails got.

* * *

><p>Shadow watched Sonic bob around inside his Vita-Chamber. He took a breath and closed his eye for a moment, before opening it again.<p>

"Alright, Mortuus. Leave me be." He growled. He didn't know where it could be, but he knew Mortuus was somewhere near him. "Go back to Eggman and leave us alone."

_**Don't you want to help Cosmo?**_

Shadow was slightly surprised that it actually spoke back to him, but he none-the-less shook his head. "Shine, Sonic and I can do it. We don't need something like _you_ helping us."

_**Don't be a fool, Shadow! You need my power and you **_**know**_** that!**_

Shadow shook his head again. "Where are you?" He growled, glancing around.

_**I spared your life for a reason, Shadow. I wanted to help you reach your full potential. However, you are making that very hard for me. I'm offering to help you defeat Dark Oak; Is that not what you wanted?**_

"I don't want _your_ help!" Shadow snarled.

_**And why is that? Because I killed Sonic, here? What a preposterous excuse, Shadow. I want to be you ali and put our differences behind us. **_

"_You_ are the difference between us, Mortuus. You want power, I just to help my friends return to a some-what normal life." Shadow spat back, like the words were acid.

_**Listen to me, you incompetent hedgehog. You want to destroy Dark Oak, but in order to do that you need power. I have that power. Our needs are almost the same.**_**WE_ are almost the same._**

****_**  
><strong>_"Don't _ever_ compare me to you." Shadow snarled. "You and I are nothing alike. Our wants are nothing alike. I will _not_ work with you, Mortuus."

Laughter vibrated through Shadow's head until he thought he skull would crack.

**_Shadow, my friend! Don't be so rash with your answers! I will give you time to think it over a couple of times - If you don't want my help, I'm sure I could find someone else who_ will_._**


	36. Chapter 36

**'Redemption' by Gakt**

** Chapter Thirty - Six**

"Shadow!" Tails screeched "Shine!" He dodged a falling tree that a giant robot knocked over. Tails jumped up and started hovering his way through the forest, trying to call for his friends. "We're being attacked! Come quick!"

"Tails, where are you?" Shadow's voice came from the edge of the forest. "Tails!"

Shadow and Shine ran side by side towards Tails, who was panting, beads of sweat dripping into his eyes. Shine stopped. "What is that?" She gasped.

"It's a Meterax." Shadow growled, stopping too. "Tails, go get the X Tornado and get Knuckles and Amy over here. We need as much help as we can get." Shadow ordered. Tails nodded without a word and hovered off in the direction of town.

"How do you know what that is?" Shine asked as the Meterax robot started to drill into the ground.

"It doesn't matter, right now, Shine!" Shadow barked. "We need to distract until we have more help!"

Shine nodded and both brother and sister sliced through the air, aiming straight for the Meterax. They collided into it, feet first, with tremendous force.

The robot only took a step back. It turned it's head towards the twins. "This is laughable, you pathetic animals. You think you can stop us?" Cords with sharp metallic pincers on the ends shot out from the Meterax's arms and snapped at Shadow and Shine.

Shine pushed Shadow out of the way as the pincers snapped at him. Instead, they wrapped themselves around Shine's waist, pinning her arms to her hips.

"Shine!" Shadow called to his sister. "Chaos Spear!" Shadow commanded, piercing the cords with dozens of Chaos Spears, which caused the Meterax to drop his sister.

Shine landed beside Shadow, stretching her arms. "Thanks." She muttered before jumping towards the Meterax again. She punched it's chest, as Shadow sent a forceful kick to it's head.

Shine whipped 'Celeste' out and started sending rounds of bullets into the robot's chest.

Shadow heard engines and looked up at the sky. Tails was flying the X Tornado towards the ruined forest, Amy, Knuckles and Kat on the wings of the plane. Cosmo was inside, watching the battle in horror.

Kat, Amy and Knuckles jumped off the plane, landing beside Shadow.

"What are you doing here?" Shadow demanded of Kat, who cracked her knuckles.

"I've come to help you fight, what else?" Kat's lilac-blue eyes glinted with determination. "I'm not backing down, Shadow, so don't even start. Besides, I had a great teacher."

Shadow turned his head to look at Shine, who was dodging a giant metal foot and still shooting at the same time. The he looked back at Kat. "Amy, keep her safe. Don't get in the way, Kat." Was all he said, before jumping back into the battle with Knuckles.

Above their heads, Tails was sending repeated shots at the Meterax with the plane's guns.

Knuckles sent an epic punch at the Meterax's foot in an attempt to knock it down - Which, of course, only managed to piss the robot off more and dent it's metal ever-so-slightly. It raised it's foot to stomp down on Knuckles.

"Knuckles!" Shine cried out, just noticing the Meterax's motives - Right when it brought it's foot down on the red Echidna.

Shadow watched as the foot started to raise, revealing Knuckles. He was sweating beads and grunting, but he managed to lift the foot high enough for him to escape. He rolled out of the hole the foot made and lay there for a couple of moments, panting.

Suddenly a large pink hammer lodged itself in the arm of the Meterax. Then another. Then another. Amy was throwing hammers at the Meterax, distracting it long enough for Knuckles to get away.

Shadow teleported to the back of it's head, slid his fingers into the gap where it's head and torso are supposed to connect, and started to pull up.

He was suddenly accompanied by an unexpected ali - Kat was there, tapping Shadow on his shoulder. "I need you to get that open." She pointed to an unnoticeable door on the back of the Meterax's head. "I have to see something." She said.

Shadow abandoned the gap. "Chaos Spear!" He hollered, sending a single spear into the door, which flew off and landed on the ground far below them. He turned to the rest of his battling friends. "Keep it up, you guys! We can't lose this!"

Kat moved towards the hole that used to be covered by the door. Inside the hole, were cords and a screen with several tiny buttons.

The Meterax heaved beneath them. It's hands recoiled into it's arms, only to be replaced by giant drills, which tore into the ground below them.

"It's harvesting the Planet Egg!" Cosmo called out from the plane.

"Shine!" Shadow called, looking for his sister. She was dragging Knuckles away from the robot, keeping him out of danger. He was still breathing hard.

"Stop this thing, Shine! Destroy the drills!" Shadow ordered before turning back to Kat, who was typing stuff into the tiny buttons. "What are you doing?"

"I'm trying to hack into it's memory files." Kat mumbled, concentrating on her self-assigned task. "I can find out why it's doing this."

"Forget that, we need to know how to stop it!"

"Yeah, well, I seriously doubt there's a file for 'Weaknesses' on this thing, Shadow."

Shadow grounded his teeth and jumped off the Meterex's shoulders, landing beside Shine. His sister had managed to almost destroy one of the drills already, but the other was already far beneath the ground.

"Knuckles, can you use Shovel-Claws to get that other drill?" Shadow demanded, turning to the Echidna - Only to find him unconscious. "Damnit." Shadow muttered.

The magnified sound of metal grinding brought Shadow's attention back to Shine. The drill was knocked off the Meterax, and lying on the ground. Shine was breathing hard, her eyes narrowed.

"Go for it's arm, Shadow!" Shine hollered after a moment. Shadow nodded and teleported to beside the Meterax's arm. Just as he raised his hand to throw Chaos Spears at the robot's arm joint, pain pierced Shadow's head.

"Gah!" Shadow dropped to the ground, putting his hands on his head - As if that would actually help. He scrunched his eye shut and clenched his teeth.

"Pathetic creatures!" The Meterax's voice echoed throughout the area. "This fight was pointless - My victory was inevitable!" Shadow opened his eye and looked up at the Meterax, still grinding his teeth, with his hands over his head.

The robot had a bright sphere in his hand. Inside the sphere, was a green, blue and brown ball of matter.

"Oh no!" Cosmo's voice came from above. "It got the Planet Egg!"

The trees and grass around them started to gradually turn brown. The planet was dying.

Kat jumped off the broad shoulders of the Meterax, just as it's feet suddenly erupted with fire, allowing to escape with the Planet Egg.

"No!" Shadow called, attempting to get to his feet, but failing. He fell back to his knees as more pain shot through his head. "Agh!" He cried out in pain.

The dead forest was suddenly silent as the Meterax disappeared and everyone watched, except for Shadow, who was grinding his teeth in pain, trying not to scream.

_**Well, well, well. My fabricated friend seems to have come straight back to me, it seems. **_

_**This battle would have been won if you'd join forces **_**earlier**_**.**_


	37. Chapter 37

**'Eat me, Drink me' by Marilyn Manson (Ignore the video / lyrics... They can be quite... vulgar .-.)**

**At the line, is 'Panorama' by the Yoshida Brothers (Massive change in mood and music style, but I like this song XD Traditional Japanese music ftw!)**

** Chapter Thirty - Seven**

Shine was kneeling over Knuckles the Echidna, who was still unconscious on the ground inside the smoldering forest. She heard a noise behind her, like something was in pain. She turned and watched brother hunch over, holding his hands over his head, his eye closed tightly.

"Shadow?" Shine got to her feet, leaving Knuckles' side momentarily. "What's wrong? What's going on, Shadow?"

Shadow's whole body was shaking, his fingers tightening on his head. His breaths came in short, shallow gasps.

"... Shadow?" Shine took another step towards her brother.

Suddenly Shadow stopped moving all-together; He stopped gasping and shaking, and his fingers relaxed. He collapsed onto his side.

"Shadow!" Shine got to her knees and pressed her ear to Shadow's scarred chest, checking for some sign he was still alright. Sure enough, she found his heart-beat, but seemed to be something was missing from it.

Shine lifted her head at the sound of footsteps beside her. Knuckles, Kat, and Amy were standing at the sides of the twins. Amy and Kat were keeping Knuckles up on his feet, his arms wrapped around their shoulders. He was now conscious.

"Is he alright?" Amy asked. Her voice was quiet, like she was baffled.

"He's alive," Shine answered softly "But I still don't know what happened." She looked at Knuckles. "Are you OK?"

"I'm fine," He grunted. "But something is happening to the Master Emerald, and we need to get to it right now."

Shine picked up Shadow, holding his legs and under his head. "Jesus Christ," She muttered "What could be happening now?"

* * *

><p>The Master Emerald's light was throbbing when the tired group arrived. Tails must have seen the Emerald's reaction, too, because he, Cosmo, Cream, Cheese, and Vanilla were there.<p>

Tails gasped at the sight of the unconscious Shadow. "What happened to him?" He rushed over to where Shine laid Shadow down. "What happened?" He repeated.

"I would tell you if I could Tails." Shine murmured, watching her brothers chest rise and fall ever-so-slightly as Tails got to his knees beside the unconscious hedgehog.

_What's going on, Shadow? What did you do to yourself?_

"Look!" Amy exclaimed, suddenly. She was pointing at the fluctuating Emerald.

Tails slowly looked up as a dark, blurry image protruded from the Emerald. His widened. "Is that...?"

"Chris..." Knuckles breathed as Christopher Thorndyke emerged from the light of the crystal.

"It- it worked!" Chris exclaimed. "I did it! I _did_ it!"

Shine looked at the kid. "Pfft, ha ha ha ha!" He was wearing the baggiest clothes ever - Which he tripped over.

"Why am I so short... What's..." He looked up, his eyes watering. "Shine?" Then he noticed Shadow on the ground. "What happened?"

As Knuckles helped Chris to his feet and explained there was a battle, Cosmo inched towards Shine and whispered "Who is that?"

Shine took a breath from laughing. "That's Chris, one of Sonic's friends from the other world."

"Chris?" Cosmo murmured. "...Why are you laughing? He tripped and fell."

"I know..." Shine snorted "But look at him!" Chris was wearing a large lab-coat, the sleeves reaching way past the length of his arms. He had men's jeans on, for someone in their early twenties, and a strangling sweater that hung off his body.

Chris was looking down at Knuckles as the Echidna explained everything. Tails got to his feet, but remained where he stood, staring at Chris.

"Chris? How did you get here?" Tails blinked.

Chris looked at him, and grinned from ear-to-ear. "I created a machine to bring me here!" He exclaimed. "It was similar to the one used to bring _you_ here, but it didn't use Chaos Emeralds. It took me six _years_ to make, but I did it!"

Everyone exchanged glances. Tails shifted uncomfortably. "Uuuh... Chris... It's only been six _months_. Have you checked you calender lately?"

Chris blinked back at him. "I-... It... I'm confused."

"Pffft!" Shine snorted and faced the other way, taking another deep breath before turning back to Chris, who had one eye-brow arched in confusion, his mouth agape. Shine cracked a smile, but managed to smooth herself out. "It's only been six months since we got back, Chris. Why would you think been six _years_?"

Chris blinked again. "I... seem to have shrunk... But, back in my world it's been six years!"

Knuckles looked up at him. "Damn, and you're _still_ taller than me."

Chris laughed, then stopped. "I hate being twelve again. Being eighteen was _great_. I was able to drive, and cook, and create, an-" He cut off, and blushed. "You get what I mean."

"I do," Shine said suddenly, finally able to stop laughing. "I myself am actually nineteen."

Everyone was silent. Cream blinked at Shine. "I thought you and Shadow were twins?"

"We are."

"... Then how are you older than him?" Vanilla inquired.

"I was released from my escape pod five years before Shadow was - That's when I was fourteen." She picked invisible lint off her leather coat. "When Shadow was released, he was sixteen."

Chris watched her. "So... You're one year older than me?" He cursed under his breath. "I wanted to be one of the few people in our group of friends that was eighteen and over." He let out a sheepish laugh.

Vanilla smiled at him. "Come with me, Cream and Shine, here, and we'll get you some new clothes - I'm pretty sure I remember they layout of your old outfit..."

Shine blinked. "Wait, why me? I've got to get Shadow...back...to... Oh, goddamnit." She knelt down, and picked Shadow up again, muttering under her breath. "This is just splendid..."

Chris rolled his sleeves and pant legs up so he could follow them back.

"I want to come, too." Cosmo announced. "Maybe I can help make the clothes."

"I'm coming too." Tails walked on Shine's side. "I'm sure there's something I can do for Shadow."

Shine looked down at Shadow's scarred face as they walked down the temple's stairs.

_What's happening, Shadow? When will things start making sense?_


	38. Chapter 38

**'Live Life ~Instrumental~' by Crush 40**

**Has anyone else noticed it say mental in 'instrumental'? lol**

**... Only a mental person would notice that...**

**SHUT UP I wrote this at three in the morning! XD**

** Chapter Thirty - Eight**

Tails and Chris walked into the visitor's room, where Shadow was resting.

"Do you think he's going to be OK?" Chris asked as the two sat down, one on a chair, the other on the extra bed. "It sounds like he had gone through a lot before he passed out."

"I'm sure he'll be fine," Tails said reassuringly. "Although, from what Shine tells me, he sounded like he was in a lot of pain."

Chris just nodded quietly. Then he asked "So, want to catch me up on everything? Who's that little green girl?"

"Her name is Cosmo," Tails answered with a slight edge to his voice. "She came here in need of help because her species was wiped out by a group of robots called 'The Meterax'. She's the only one left in the species of the Plantarians." He looked back at Shadow, who had yet to wake up. "A Meterax came and attacked our planet, harvesting for something called 'The Planet Egg' - That's what keeps the planet alive. The Meterax seem intent on ending all life in the galaxy."

Chris blinked. "I take it the Meterax got away with the Planet Egg? Otherwise Shadow would be out there, still fighting."

Tails didn't answer. He didn't have to.

"How are you going to get the Egg back?" Chris asked.

"The only logical answer is to track the Meterax down and beat them. If we don't they'll probably just keep attacking us all until no one is left." Tails murmured.

"How are you going to follow it? It's in space, probably light years away by now."

"I have a few tricks up my sleeve."

They were silent for a moment, before Chris asked "I'm guessing Sonic is still...?"

"Yeah," Tails refused to look at Chris.

"You know," Chris began "I'm not holding anything against you, Tails. It was a long time ago-"

"Six months."

"Six _years_. Anyways, I know it wasn't your fault, Tails. Mortuus was too strong. Nobody could restrain it's powers."

Tails sighed. "You don't get it, do you? It was six years ago for you, but six months for me. This memory is still raw in my memory - I remember everything. That's the worst part, too. The more time passes, the more I remember." Tails finally looked at Chris, who had a fading smile dripping from his lips. "Mortuus gave me a gap in my conscious, something big enough to go through, but I didn't take the chance. I caused all this to happen."

"Nooo," Chris corrected, like he would a drooling three-year-old. "Because if that were true, wouldn't you still be infected by him?"

"No. Mortuus is free to leave whenever he wants, as far as I know." Tails couldn't believe that they were arguing about this _again_. He looked out the nearby window as he continued. "Mortuus uses your wants, your fears, anything that can help you a little, but it's for that _monster_ in the long-run." Tails spat the words out like poison. "It'll promise you something, then twist it around and make the deal work for _it_ not _you_." His tone softened. "I learned this the hard way..."

"What are you saying, Tails? That you _wanted_ Sonic to die?" Chris growled suspiciously.

"No! Not at all!" Tails whipped his head around to face Chris. "I just... wanted to be a little bit more than a weak child, that's all. Everyone has something _special_ about them, except for me. Even Cream does." Tails admitted. "When Eggman's henchmen released Mortuus into me, I tried to resist. It took over my head, though. When I woke up next, it _spoke _to me... It seemed to be able to see what I wanted... And.. it promised me I would get it..." Tails crossed his arms across his chest before he even realized he was doing it. "Mortuus promised that I would have unimaginable power... But it took over my head, and used that power to kill Sonic."

"Tails, you're the smartest guy I know. How can you think you're not special? Sure, you aren't as fast as Sonic, or as strong as Shadow here, but you have something that most people would beg for - Intellect. You are naturally intelligent. I had to work my ass off to get to this I.Q. level." Chris suddenly covered his mouth. "Sorry, sometimes I forget you're still a minor."

"What? 'A minor'? What is that supposed to mean?"

"That you aren't over eighteen."

"OK! I get it! You're eighteen now! _Big freaking whoop_! I really don't care!"

Chris laughed. "Don't change the subject." He became serious again. "Anyways, why didn't you tell us about Mortuus making false promises?"

"It made me sound like a selfish jerk who could care less about his friends and everyone around him, then die alone and ill because everyone he loved died long before him because of something he did long ago." Tails took a deep breath.

"Wow. That was very descriptive..."

"Besides... I... I didn't want to cause more trouble than I had already caused." Tails went on, a lot quieter. "Chris... Sometimes I can still smell their blood. When I close my eyes at night, I can still imagine Sonic falling limp to the ground... And every time I look at Shadow, I'm reminded of what I did..."

"I don't think it's fair that Eggman did this to you, Tails. His idiotic plans to take over have gone too far." Chris announced.

"Yeah, well, you're not the only one..." Tails muttered. Then he looked up at Chris. "While we're on the subject of Mortuus, have you found it yet?"

"No, not yet. The President seems determined to, though. He wants to find the person reasonable for Sonic's death, even though you all left such a long time ago." Chris answered, almost sourly.

"Six months."

"In my world, it was six years, OK?"

"I don't like how one month in my world is a year in your world. It's kind of annoying."

Chris didn't answer, and instead looked back at Shadow, who drooling a little in the corner of his mouth. "It seems so oddly normal for him to be unconscious or injured." Chris murmured after a while.

Tails realized how right he was. It seems that every week, or month Shadow seems to be in a deadly fight that almost kills him.

Suddenly, Vanilla popped her head into the room. "Come on, Chris I have some clothes made up for you. Shine and Cosmo have been helping me make them." Chris got up and walked out of the room with Vanilla. As they walked down the hallway, Tails could hear Vanilla say: "We need to measure your waist, still, but we're almost done. We also need to get you shoes of some sort..."

Tails sighed and looked back at Shadow. He looked angry, even in his sleep.

The young fox closed his eyes, pulling his legs up to his chest.

Scarlet liquid and bloody claws flashed before his eyes. He could feel sharp claws tearing through Shadow's flesh, hear Shadow cursing as his eye was blinded for life. The sickly-sweat smell of blood filled his nostrils and clung to his fur. Tails opened his eyes again, his fingers tightening around his knees. Tails hated being alone. He closes his eyes for one moment and is instantly back in the alley, pointing a gun straight at Sonic's heart.

"Tails?" A voice came from the doorway. Tails turned and looked at Shine, who walked into the room and sat in the chair beside Shadow's bed. "I thought I'd find you here."

Tails shrugged. "Aren't you supposed to be helping Vanilla make clothes?"

"They went out for shoes and cloth. Are you OK?"

Tails hesitated before nodding. "I'm fine. I just wanted to think some things through."

Shine was silent for a while, simply staring at her unconscious brother. For the first time, Tails wondered what little game-plan she was working on in her head. Usually, she shared this kind of thing, but she was oddly quiet on the subject today. She narrowed her eyes at her brother, he white eyes flicking around suspiciously. Suddenly Tails knew what she was thinking.

_What have we all gotten ourselves into, Shadow? What have _you_ gotten yourself into?_


	39. Chapter 39

**L. L. Church quote: Church to Doc with Jr. (?)**

**Actually, there's a lot of quotes from RvB Season 5 XD I was trying to explain it all to my sis, but she didn't get **_**anything**_**, so I forced her to watch all the seasons with me LOL**

** Chapter Thirty - Nine**

"This is the Blue Typhoon!" Tails announced with pride. "I built a while ago, so it needs some touch-ups, but other than that, it's ready to go!" He stood back, presenting the giant space ship. Lights flickered on all around the spacious garage that harbored the ship.

Chris, Shine, Kat, Cosmo, and Knuckles all widened their eyes at the sight of the massive ship. "It's... impressive, Tails. I can't believe you managed to make something like this." Knuckles breathed.

"I'm impressed, kid. This is definitely a huge project to finish by yourself." Shine walked up to the railings that bordered the area around the ship. "How long did it take?"

"Quite some time - That's why it needs to be updated. Also," He turned sheepishly to Knuckles. "I may or may not need something from you to power this..."

Knuckles watched him for a moment. "And that is...?"

"I might need the Master Emerald."

"... The... It... I can't... I can't... I don't... I... What? Why?"

"Well, it's a pretty big ship, so it needs a lot of energy to power it. The Master Emerald is the only thing powerful enough to keep it running." Tails smiled hopefully at Knuckles.

Knuckles sighed. "Well, if we're going into space, we need to be able to keep an I on the Master Emerald." He crossed his arms, and flashed a twitchy smirk in Tails' direction. "As long as I can check on it, it's fine."

Tails let out a breath of relief. "Thanks, Knuckles." He turned back to face the behemoth ship. "That aside, it should get us to where we need to be."

"I'm so amazed by this, still, Tails!" Cosmo breathed, walking up to the railing too. Tails smiled at her.

Kat rolled her eyes.

"As soon as Shadow is awake, we'll start packing and track the Meterax down." Tails announced.

* * *

><p>"Do I have your word that none of them will be injured?"<p>

Mortuus' voice echoed through the darkness of Shadow's mind. "Of course, Shadow."

"And I'll have complete control - The _whole_ time?"

"Shadow, I wouldn't even _dream_ of letting my side of the deal down. You can trust my word."

Shadow hesitated, before sighing. "Fine. But only until we destroy Dark Oak - Then you're leaving A.S.A.P., got it?"

"Understood, Shadow." Mortuus' voice came again. "You and I will be _much_ stronger working together. I'm glad you've finally seen it my way."

* * *

><p>Shadow the Hedgehog opened his eyes. New energy flowed through his veins.<p>

He was still in the visitor's room in Vanilla's house. Footsteps echoed through the hallway, and Vanilla entered the room. Her eyes lit up when she saw Shadow was awake.

"Shadow!" She beamed. "You stay right here, I'll bring you something..." She hurried out of the room. Moments later, Vanilla had a large mug of coffee stuck under Shadow's nose. "It's to help you wake up!" She announced.

Shadow stared at it for a moment. It smelled way too strong to be even _remotely_ satisfying, and bits and chunks of coffee floated around in the foaming water.

Vanilla blinked. "If you don't want coffee, I can make some of my home-made earl-gray tea."

Shadow quickly took a sip from the coffee mug.

Vanilla smiled. "I'll go find your friends and tell them you're awake."

Shadow nodded as Vanilla left the room. He spat the coffee out, back into the mug. He looked around for something to get the taste out.

Setting the mug down on the table, he tried picking a piece of coffee grain out of his teeth, then gave up. He continued to look around for something to get the taste out of his mouth, sticking his tongue out - Which didn't help at all. It actually made the taste even worse.

_Do I have your word that none of them will be injured?_

_ Of course, Shadow._

_ And I'll have complete control - The _whole_ time?_

_Shadow, I wouldn't even dream of letting my side of the deal down. You can trust my word._

_ Fine. But only until we destroy Dark Oak - Then you're leaving A.S.A.P., got it?_

_ Understood, Shadow. You and I will be _much_ stronger working together. I'm glad you've finally seen it my way._

Shadow froze. _What... have I done...?_

"Shadow? How are you feeling?"

The black-and-red hedgehog jumped at the sound of Shine's voice.

He looked up at his sister. "I-I'm fine. What happened?"

"I'd like to ask you that very same question." She walked up to Shadow's bed, crossing her arms and narrowing her eyes. "What. Happened?"

"I'm not sure. Where is Tails?"

"Answer me, Shadow. What happened to you?"

Shadow's eye flashed. "I wouldn't know. All I remember is the fight against the Meterax and it's escape with the Planet Egg."

Shine glared at him for a moment before looking away. "Chris is here." She informed him dryly. "I'm sure he wants to see you."

Shadow looked away. "I'll talk to him as soon as I can. Where is Tails?"

"He's busy." Shine started to walk out of the room. "If you can't talk to _me_ about what's going on, then I don't know how you can talk to a nine-year-old fox about it." Her voice had an edge to it. "Call me when you start making _sense_, for once."

Shadow glared after her. _I can't tell you... I'm not a traitor... I just want to help, and if Mortuus promised all the power and full control... Who could pass that deal?_


	40. Chapter 40

**"BOO mother fucker!"**

**Shadow's fav Marilyn Manson lyrics: **

**Haters call me bitch,**

**Call me faggot,**

**Call me whiney.**

**But I'm something that you'll never be! HEY!**

**I was listening to a remix of 'Break the Ice' by Britney Spears, but it doesn't fit XD (At least I don't think it does, you can check it out if you want.. lol 'Break the Ice (Kaskade Radio Edition)' is the version I listened to)**

**Plus it makes Shadow sound like a pedo LOL**

** Chapter Forty  
><strong>

"Tails, are you busy?"

The young fox turned from a desk that is in the Blue Typhoon's Captain's quarters. Shadow the Hedgehog leaned in the doorway of the room.

"Not really, I'm just working on some old schematics that were just lying around." Tails smiled. "Why?"

Shadow walked into the room, closing the room behind him.

The black-and-red hedgehog had woken up less than fourteen hours ago, and he was already up and running.

"What do you know about Dark Oak already, Tails?" Shadow asked after a moment.

Tails shrugged. "All I know, is that he, or it, or whatever it is, is extremely powerful - And the Meterax's metal armor is made of a special binding of energy and a strange element. That's what makes it so versatile."

Shadow nodded. Then he smirked_*****_.

Tails blinked at him. "What?"

Shadow's smirk didn't falter. "I just have a feeling things are going to be OK."

Tails watched him. "What makes you say that?"

"I just think that we can win this. We have Shine, we'll have Sonic, and we have myself. We also have a brilliant mind with us."

Tails shifted. "Are you feeling OK?"

"I'm fine." Shadow's eye flashed."Are you afraid of what happens next, Tails?"

"I guess. Why?"

"Because I was once told that it's respect that brings people together," His smirk disappeared. "But it's not. What brings people together, is fear-"

"Stop talking like a fortune cookie and tell me where this is going, Shadow."

Shadow smiled again. "What I'm trying to say is if _you're_ scared, it only seems logical that _others_ could be, too. We could use that to our advantage, you know. Recruit people."

Tails contemplated this. "That makes sense, except where are we going to find battle-worthy people who are brave enough to help take Dark Oak down? We won't exactly have the _time_ to go scouting for people."

"I'm sure we'll run across people."

Tails shrugged as Shadow started to walk out of the room. Shadow opened the door, but halted and looked over his shoulder - The scarred part of his face most visible. "Oh, and Tails..." Shadow gripped the door-frame. "I don't think we should trust everyone on the team with our whole hearts," He turned all the way around. His eye was cold. "I don't mean to point fingers, but a certain black-and-white hedgehog hasn't exactly been too trustful."

"But.. She helped you fight the Meterax, didn't she?"

"That may be so," Shadow growled "But when threatened with extinction, _any _option is preferable." With that, he walked out of the cabin, leaving Tails staring after the hedgehog with a baffled expression.

* * *

><p>The door closed behind Shadow. He leaned against it and let out a breath, closing his eye.<p>

_I'm sorry, Shine, but I don't need anyone to find out, yet. I'm just buying some time until-_

Shadow's thoughts were interrupted by a young voice.

"Shadow, what are you doing outside of Tails' door? Did you want to talk to him?" Kat asked. She was carrying a box of supplies for the trip.

"I was just in there, talking to him." Shadow quickly opened his eye.

"Why are you just standing there, then? We could seriously use a hand with the packing and unloading."

Shadow nodded, seriously hoping that question was rhetorical. "Yeah, I'll come help."

"Whatever." Kat started walking off, sounding tired. "When you're done warming the door with your ass, I'm sure if you help, this will go faster than it would with just me, Knuckles, Shine, and Cream and Cheese. Cosmo can't even lift a box by herself, and Cream and Cheese aren't far behind her."

Shadow watched her go, his eye narrowing.

_I have to be careful of how I go about this, otherwise it'll be one mess I can't clean._

* * *

><p>Tails blinked, his confused eyes wide, as the door closed behind Shadow.<p>

_And just what was _that _all about?_

Didn't Shadow once say that Shine was the _only_ one who could be trusted? And now he was telling Tails _not_ to trust her? What had Shine done to make her twin not trust her?

Or, more importantly, what in the _hell_ was Shadow talking about? '_When threatened with extinction, any option is preferable..._' What was that supposed to mean? That Shine was... working with the enemies?

_*** **_**You know that goddamn sexy smirk that creates fan-gasms? Yeah. It's **_**that**_** one.**


	41. Chapter 41

_**'It is the composer's duty to seduce the ear, and satisfy the mind.'**_** - Sander Cohen, Bioshock ^_^**

**After the line, I was listening to 'Uncertain Memory', by Gakt (Seems pretty fitting to me x3)**

**I have mixed feelings about the song before the line lol**

** Chapter Forty - One**

"Brace yourself, everyone!" Tails' voice rang through the intercom of the Blue Typhoon. "This is going to be a little rough until we leave the planet's atmosphere!" Tails' eyes were focused ahead as he gripped the the steering handles for the ship.

Chris, who was beside him - sitting in a seat placed slightly lower than Tails' - gripped was scanning the readings that scrolled down the screen in front of him.

Shadow appeared behind Tails, gripping the head of his seat. "Tails, I thought you said this thing could fly properly!"

"It can, it's just not in it's proper environment!" Tails grounded his teeth. "Wait until it leaves the atmosphere!" He guided the ship as steadily as he could towards the zero-gravity conditions of space.

"The Blue Typhoon is stabilizing, Tails. Just keep it steady!" Chris called over his shoulder.

Suddenly the ship stopped shaking. Now it was but a mere speck in that vast space of the galaxy.

Shine, who walked in through the automatic door, let out a breath of relief. "As far as traveling into space, I'd say that went pretty well."

"How would _you_ know?" Amy asked.

"I've done it before." Shine paused, then shrugged. "Actually, being ejected from an escape pod and hurtling towards the Earth is closest thing I've actually had to space travel, unless you count the A.R.K.." She laughed.

"You know, that isn't the best memory ever. You shouldn't be laughing." Shadow growled.

"Oooo, someone is a sour-puss today."

"..."

"If you don't laugh at things like this, you cry." She patted Shadow on the head. His shoulders sagged.

Cosmo entered the ship's bridge, her eyes bright. "Thank you again for helping me, everyone. I'm sure this must be a hassle for you all."

"No way." Chris turned to look at her. "I've been waiting six years for a bit of adventure, and it looks it's finally paying off."

Cosmo smiled back at him.

"We should look for Chaos Emeralds first, Tails." Shadow suggested, looking back at the young fox cub. "We'll need all the power we can get if we happen to run into a Meterax."

"Right," Tails agreed, and Chris typed something into the screen in front of them.

"I've set a tracker up that will sense the Chaos Emerald's power and alert us when we pass a planet that has a Emerald on it." Chris announced.

Tails glanced to his side, where Shine stood with Shadow.

_When threatened with extinction, any option is preferable..._

Where did Shine's loyalties lie?

* * *

><p>Shadow stood in front of Sonic's Vita-Chamber, his arms crossed. The blue hedgehog floated peacefully in his Chamber, unaware of all that was happening. Or was he?<p>

Shadow often wondered is Sonic _knew_ what was going on around him. Did Sonic know he was in space? Did he know that the Meterax want him dead, along with the rest of the universe? Did he know about Mortuus? Shadow remembered that he had spoken out-loud to Mortuus when the black-and-red hedgehog was near the Vita-Chamber, so perhaps there was a chance that Sonic _knew_ Mortuus currently resides in Shadow's head.

The Chamber was in a large empty room - It probably would've been used for storage, but for now it was empty. The roof was high - Much, much taller than the Vita-Chamber, and big enough to store a small town-house. The only things in it were a couple of computers that controlled Sonic's necessities, and the Vita-Chamber itself.

Shadow was just barely out of reach of the dim light that the Vita-Chamber emitted, although that wasn't very hard to do because the light wasn't very bright. He couldn't get over how weird it was to look at Sonic in that state. Idle. Trapped. Fragile. It just seemed strange to Shadow.

The black-and-red hedgehog let out a sigh. _Here goes..._ "Sonic, I need you to know something that, when you wake up, you can't tell anyone." _I can't believe I'm doing this... _"I... I'm getting help from Mortuus. Extra power." _This is damn pointless. What if he can't even hear me?_ "Yeah, I know what you would say if you _could _hear me. "Without those shoes, you're shit." You'd also say something about me working with the enemy, but that's slightly less significant." _Why am I confiding in a shell of a person? _"I just want you to know that I'm not working against you guys - I'm just trying to beat Dark Oak with out dying.

"I guess what I'm trying to say, is that I promise this will work, so there's no need to freak out when you wake up. I spoke to Mortuus, once, while I was near you. I don't know if you will remember it or not, but if you do, don't go blabbing about it, Motor-mouth. I can't have people knowing about it." Guilt tossed around in Shadow's stomach. "Besides... It's not like I can go back on this, anyways. I'm stuck with this now, so I'll _have_ to make this work."

Shadow sighed and let his arms fall to his sides, his head slightly hung. Then he looked up. He watched his mirror image float in the chemical-water, like he expected the hedgehog to open his eyes or something.

"**Besides, it's good to expand your horizons.**" Mortuus' words slipped out from Shadow's mouth. Shadow's hands slapped up to his mouth, holding Mortuus' words in.

_**What's wrong, Sunshine? Can't I talk? Is that not allowed? **_

"No." Shadow snapped back.

_**Aaaw, shucksy-darn. Hey, you should use that word more often. It fits you.**_

"**Shuuucksy-darn!**" Mortuus managed to say out of Shadow's mouth.

"Don't patronize me!" Shadow growled. "And stop using me as a mod of socialization. I don't like the feeling I get when you talk from my mouth."

_**How else am I supposed to talk, then?**_

"You're _not_ supposed to talk."

_**Now, now, Shadow. I thought we agreed-**_

"We agreed I would get complete control the whole time. _You_ agreed."

_**You also lied to Tails about Shine.**_

"It's to keep people off my back." Shadow snarled, still watching Sonic in the Vita-Chamber. "And why would _you_ care about that? You're the one who tried to use Tails to kill _me_."

_**My dear friend, Shadow. That was just an objective that I was forced to complete.**_

"We're not friends," Shadow hissed "So stop talking to me like we are. You know what, just shut up altogether."

Mortuus ignored him. _**There's some pretty dark stuff in here, Shadow. You should really talk to a professional.**_

"Shut up. You're crazy and I hate you."

_**I'm not the one talking to a voice inside their head.**_

"The only reason you're here is to help me. Now shut up and don't talk to me."

Mortuus was silent for a moment. _**Very well.**_ Then it was just silence.

Shadow looked back at the Vita-Chamber. Sonic's eyes remained closed, his arms limp.

"This is going to be... interesting." Shadow murmured softly, before turning and walking into the dark shadows of the storage room, leaving Sonic to float in the Vita-Chamber's embrace.


	42. Chapter 42

**At the line I was listening to 'First wave Dr Leonard Church'**

** Chapter Forty - Two**

Tails glared out into space as he piloted the Blue Typhoon. Beside him, Chris sighed, obviously bored.

"I'm kind of hoping we run into a Meterax, or something. At least _then_ we'd have something to do." Chris muttered. He suddenly sat up from his slouched-over position. "Hey, do you think I could check my Facebook profile on these computers?"

"I honestly don't care." Tails grunted. "Wait... What's Facebook?"

"Really, you guys don't have Facebook? Sucks to be you. It's a place where-" Chris was cut off as the computer started bleeping. "Uh, Tails? We got an enemy ship, not too far from here!"

The ship's screen suddenly fuzzed, then came up with a picture of a selfish old man and a sadistic robot. "Eggman." Tails snarled. "Attention Blue Typhoon: Everyone report to the ship's bridge _immediately_!" Tails hollered into the ship's speakers.

Doctor Eggman was grinning beside Dark Oak, who was sitting in a throne-like chair.

Shadow, Shine, Knuckles, Kat, Amy, and Cosmo rushed in, their eyes either wide, or narrowed. "What's going on?" Kat asked, jumping up to where Tails sat.

"Oooh hoo hoo hoo hoo hoooo!" Eggman laughed on the screen. "Surprise!"

"Eggman is back," Tails growled.

* * *

><p>"Not only that, my foxy foe, but I've decided to open my resources, and work with Dark Oak, here." Eggman chided before laughing again.<p>

"No way!" Cosmo gasped. "You mustn't help Dark Oak, Doctor!"

"You, my dear, are in no position to be telling _what_ and _what not _to do." Eggman waggled his finger at her. "So keep your trap shut and let the grown-ups talk."

Cosmo clenched her fists, getting a sour look on her lips. "You fool!" She said in that quiet voice of hers. "You can't help him! He only wants to destroy the galaxy, not help you!"

"Details are unimportant to me right now, girly." Eggman shrugged.

Cosmo made a little _hmph_ noise, but said nothing more.

_What the hell is he up to now?_ Shine thought angrily. Why would Eggman help Dark Oak? Or, more importantly, why would Dark Oak help _Eggman_? "We're going to stop you, you know."

"Yeah! You're just a rotten egg with a mustache!" Amy added.

Eggman moved closer to the screen, blocking Dark Oak out of view. "Oh yeah? You and what _army_?" Shine took a step closer to the screen.

"Myself, Sonic and Sha-" She cut off. She had turned to point at Shadow, but he was nowhere to be seen. "Shadow?"

Eggman moved away from the screen, laughing. Shadow the Hedgehog stood behind him.

"HEY!" Kat yelled, her cheeks flushing with anger. "What's the big deal, here, Shadow? You've been sketchy ever since I met you, but _this_?"

Shadow's face was an emotionless, scarred mask of someone his friends once thought they knew. His voice was quiet as he spoke. "There's an old saying, I don't know if you're familiar to it. 'If you can't beat 'em," He held his arms out. "'_Join 'em_.'"

"You _bastard_!" Knuckles raised his fists threateningly at Shadow. "How could you abandon us?"

The room filled with anger, settling heavily upon their chests. Shadow crossed his arms and looked away, silent as a ghost.

"Shadow..." Tails breathed. Kat rested her hand gently on his shoulder, an attempt to reassure him. Tails simply stiffened, shaking slightly as he stared at the hedgehog that he trusted so much.

"Shadow, what do you think you're doing?" Shine snarled. "Just when I think I've gotten you all figured out, you turn around and do something stupid like this."

There was silence after that. Shine watched Eggman, quietly chuckling in the background of the screen. Shadow was avoiding the screen all-together. Suddenly, Tails broke the silence, quiet at first.

"You... you lied to me, Shadow. You lied to me about Shine... And... I actually believed you." Tails' eyes glazed with tears and anger. He jumped to his feet, slamming his hands down on the computer. "You're the only one I've trusted since Sonic died, Shadow! How could you do this to us?"

Shadow didn't look at them. "I didn't want it to get to this, Tails. I'm sorry, but you will have to deal with it." He breathed eventually.

"Wait a sec - You _lied_ to him about me?" Shine growled. "About _what_, exactly?"

Tails didn't tear his eyes away from Shadow as he spat every word out. "He told me not to trust you. He said you would betray us."

"I never said _that_..." Shadow muttered, his teeth bared.

"My, my, Shadow!" Eggman purred, absolutely delighted that his grandfather's creation wasn't a fail - In _his_ eyes, anyways. "Turning everyone against your own sister? Someone has gotten sneaky!"

"Wait, how do you know I'm his sister?" Shine asked suspiciously. "I could be some clone or something, not even family to him."

"I figured my grandfather would make a proto-type of Shadow in case something snapped in his little head." Eggman explained importantly. "After-all, my grandfather _was_ the _greatest_ mind until I came along."

"That is Shine the Hed-" Shadow started, but was cut off by his twin.

"I don't need you introducing me, you bloody-ass traitor." Shine spat.

Shadow narrowed his eye and looked away, silent again.

"I'm Shine the Hedgehog, I _am_ related to that traitor, and I _am_ going to stop you." She looked especially at Shadow. "_All_ of you." Anger crackled and popped around her, it glared from her eyes, wafted off her in waves. "If this is the little game you want to play, Shadow, the so be it. We're going to destroy all, and leave nothing to bury."

"This shall have quite an interesting outcome." Dark Oak chided, resting his elbow on the chair's arm. "Blood against blood, brother against sister."

"Yes," Shine snarled, the group of friends behind her all joining in on the angry glares. Knuckles and Kat took a step forward, both cracking their hands and knuckles. "I can't wait to see who comes out on top."

** End of Book one**

* * *

><p><strong>OH SNAP!<strong>

**I'm so evil :3 **

**NEXT STORY IS COMING OUT A.S.A.P.**

**Name: 'Ripped Flesh'**

**Btw... that laugh that Eggman does? I can do it. In real life, I seriously can XD  
><strong>

**Ooooh hoo hoo hoo hoo hoooo! YOU ALL HAVE TO WAIT UNTIL THE NEXT STORY TO SEE WHAT HAPPENS!  
><strong>


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